Fates Intertwined
by AliceDoll33
Summary: My name is Clare. My life was normal until a Zombie abducts me saying that Vampires are after my life. Will I ever be able to live a normal life after this? -Rated T for language and mild violence
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Humans**

The first knowing beings in Earth are the humans. Humans are weak, being provided of their every need since the day they were born. Despite this, they continue to thrive. They hold high intellect which they used for their advantage and built vehicles, firearms and utensils.

**Vampires**

King Leon, eleventh king of England, unknowingly married a mutated vampire bat, the Groven species.

The Groven's features were similar to that of a human. She was beautiful. Unlike other vampire bats, she was not dangerous. She can be trained and taught like a human child. She outlived the age of a normal vampire bat, living for an estimate of 20 long years. How long she could actually live was unknown as she died by giving birth to the first Vampire, Prince John.

King Leon grieved for his wife's death. He cared for his son and molded him to a fine noble. He died peacefully and gave his throne as king to John.

John was a quiet child. He hid his desire for human blood and his powers to the public. He knew he was different from everybody else, and he blamed his mother for it. He saw it as a curse and not a blessing. After various attempts to kill himself, which absolutely failed, he learnt to love his being and started gathering the other Grovens and breeding his kind in the shadows.

Thus, the second knowing beings, the Vampires, were made.

**Zombies**

The Black Death was a pandemic which killed many of Europe's population. It is one of the deadliest pandemics ever recorded in history. Many grieved and it was hard for Europe to recover from the pandemic.

Richard grieved for the death of his whole family. Only he survived for he was away in Greenland for a job trip. When he returned, he found his family dead. He suffered many diseases due to depression and recovered only after 10 years. He made up his mind in finding a way to bring his family back to life. After searching at many things about Black Magic, he finally found a way to revive them.

He drew a pentacle during the strike of midnight and uttered a chant to summon the demon of Death. He wished for the revival of the dead. His wish was granted at the expense of his own soul.

With his sole soul, Richard was able to revive one hundred dead humans. These revived humans were called the Undead, but also known as Zombies. Once revived, they take the form of ordinary humans. They were stronger though. They can run twenty times faster than a cheetah and extremely stronger too.

In order for their race to grow, they made a book on bringing back the dead and produced many copies of it. They left it authorless and shipped it to every country in the world. Since then, the zombies' population has been growing due to humans who wish for the revival of other humans.

Thus, the third knowing beings, the Zombies, were made.

**Hunters**

Gregory's twin brother was killed by the vampires while his son tried to bring his mother back to life and ended up dying, after so, his wife's bones went missing. Gregory didn't have enough courage to go living on anymore. He was a great scientist, known and adored by everybody, but it meant nothing with his whole family dead. He swore to himself to bring the Vampires and the Zombies to their extinction.

He gathered a group of scientists. Together, they got healthy volunteers and experimented with them. These ten volunteers were injected with an S-solution. It strengthens the abilities of humans and allows them to par with Vampires and Zombies. This group of humans was called the Hunters. They are not robots though. They act by their own sense of reasoning. The original 10 volunteers were freed and allowed to live their lives, but since they volunteered, they did their job and eliminated some Vampires and Zombies, but only ten would not suffice, and so they started taking slaves and turning them to Hunters. There were some who fought back and tried to live a normal life and there were some who did their job. The Hunter's race grew and was avoided by the Vampires and the Zombies.

Thus, the fourth knowing beings, the Hunters, were made.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

My name is Clare. I've been living quite a normal yet boring life. I have quite some friends but I prefer to remain in the house rather than go shopping with them. I'm quite the I-don't-care type. I wear large shirts and pants when I go out. I don't wear short shorts and skirts unless it's required (school sadly requires skirts).

"Oi. Sis, you planning to be late for class or what?" My brother asks me. He's acting all high and mighty when he's younger than me. It's only a single year but who cares.

"Don't worry. I'm never late. It's either I'm present or I'm absent," I reply with a grin. He returns the grin and grabs my bag. I place my plate on the sink and run beside him. I attempt to grab my bag back but he dodges.

"I'll carry it for you," he sheepishly says, trying to hide his blush.

"Oho! So you're trying to be a gentleman?" I poke his cheeks. "Gentlemen don't blush you know."

He angrily throws my bag to me. "I was planning to be kind but forget it!"

I giggle. "So you like a girl huh? Who?" He keeps quiet, his head bent low. "Ohhhh! It's Sandy, am I right? That cute doll-like girl. She's pretty but I wonder if she'll like your girlish voice." Now, he's red with rage. "Oh don't cry. She'll probably be glad enough to play doll with you."

3

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"SHUT UP BITCH!!!" He screams at me as he runs away. Ohhh. That's pretty bad. Did I say too much? Oh well. He's still such a kid. He's so cute.

I continue walking on the sidewalk. Somehow, it was quiet. Not peaceful, but creepily quiet. There was no cool breeze, there was no chirping of little birds, and there was no rustling of green leaves. I don't know why, but somehow I felt nervous. Like there was something wrong.

Must be my imagination. I quickly ran to school. I was tempted to look back, but I was scared. I didn't know who or what I was scared of, but it was something deadly. I'm sure of it. It could kill me.

"You're sweating," Justin comments. Justin is my best friend. We're both third year high school students. I know he's a boy but we don't care either ways. We've been together since we were ten after all.

"I am?" I ask. I'm guessing that was the greatest run of my life. He smirks. I raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing," He replies as he ruffles my hair with a towel. I froze.

"Is.. is that your towel?" I ask even though I knew the answer already.

"Did you leave your common sense at home? Duh. Of course it's my towel. Who else would let you borrow their towel other than me?"

"How come you sound so sure?"

"Why would you ask another person for a towel when you could borrow it from me?" His reply shocked me for a moment.

"Anyway," I say as I grab the towel. "I'll return it to you tomorrow after I wash it, okay?"

He frowns and grabs back the towel. "What are you talking about? I'm going to play basketball later. I need the towel."

I grab back the towel. "What? No! I have to wash it! Don't you know anything about proper hygiene?"

He grabs back the towel. "No! I need the towel for later! What's wrong with using it after you use it anyway? It's not going to kill me." I open my mouth to oppose him but he rushes away.

"Justin! Come back here! Give me the towel!!!!!" I scream at him. He pauses and turns toward me. He was pretty far off already. He smirks and smells the towel. It sent Goosebumps to my spine.

"Sorry Clare. It smelt pretty plain awhile ago but it smells like blossoming flowers now. Go to class already or you'll be late." He smiles and runs away. What he just said, is he saying that my sweat smells good? That guy, he's making fun of me again.

**********

"Okay everybody? We'll be having the Halloween party next week. You have to disguise as someone else. It depends on you on who you will disguise as. I know it's a pretty plain theme for a Halloween party but it was the decision of the principal after last year's party," class president Blue says with a grin. Everybody cheered after hearing her last words. Last year's party was one of the scariest to be true. Everybody had their own style, but not a single one of us wasn't scary. Seems like the principal peed on his pants. Well probably just peed on his brief after his pants was pulled down by a pair of Dracula twins, which were suspended for a whole week, AND had to wash the principal's brief. "Anyway, I hope everybody enjoys this Halloween party. Just do what you think is scary and don't do what you think will pull down anybody's pants. Thank you." Everyone cheered again. Our homeroom teacher frowned but didn't say anything.

Our classes went smoothly though I admit it was pretty boring itself. Everything was normal until lunchtime. I had this feeling that someone was watching me. Like someone was waiting for me.

"Is something wrong?" Justin asks me.

"Ah, no. Nothing."

"You've been acting weird ever since lunch started. Just tell me about it."

"I feel like.. like someone's watching me. To be true, it's quite scary." Justin seemed to be alarmed but hid it with a smile.

"Don't worry. I'm here."

I laugh "Nice joke." His smile faded away.

"I'm serious." I stop laughing and smile at him.

"Thanks." He smiles back and continues eating. I push my plate to him. He pauses and puts down his spoon and fork and picks up mine. I gaze curiously at what he was doing. He puts my food on my spoon and holds it up my mouth.

"Open wide." I open my mouth to ask him what he was doing but then he pops the spoon inside my mouth. He gently removes the spoon. I chew the food, shocked. After swallowing, he hands me a glass of water and after drinking, I froze then raise my eyebrow.

"Why did you feed me?"

"Isn't that why you gave me your plate?"

"No. I was giving my food to you since you looked so hungry."

"Oh……….. OH!" He starts laughing. "Sorry. I misunderstood. Thanks for the food then." He uses my spoon and fork to eat.

"WAIT!" He looks at me questioningly. "Why are you using my spoon and fork?"

"What's wrong with that?" He innocently asks.

"Are you for real?"

As I was about to lecture Justin, Isabel suddenly puts her hand on my shoulder. "Hey sweetheart. I see you pair of couple are having lovey dovey time again?"

"We're not a couple."

"Oh really? Does Justin think the same way? Justin? Are you a couple?" Justin didn't say something but finally spoke.

"..Not.." I didn't hear the next word he said. He was mouthing it to Isabel. What could he have said? It was a single word. But if he was going to disagree, isn't the answer supposed to be 'No' and not 'Not'?

"Oh but how could '_**both**_' of you disagree?" She placed an emphasis on 'both' while looking at Justin. "You probably don't know but everyone saw Justin feed you Clare."

"It was a misunderstanding." I caught Justin glaring outside the window with bloodshot eyes. Suddenly, my fear slowly melted away. Justin notices that I was looking at him and smiles at me.

Something's definitely wrong.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**POV: Alexander**

It's about time. The Hunters and Humans are acting already. It's not really a bother if they get her since they'd make sure to protect her, but it would be bad if the Vampires are the ones to catch her. They'll kill her. I have to act quickly.

I saw Clare walking alone on the sidewalk. Good timing. She's alone. I rush to her and grab her away. I had to adjust my running speed to hers, or she'd trip. I could carry her, but somehow, I'm having the feeling that it would be a bad idea.

"Who are you? Where are you taking me? Why are we running? Let go of me fucker!" She shouted continuously at me.

"You're in danger. You're being hunted down."

"What the fuck are you saying man? Hunted down? I haven't even beaten up the guy that tripped me yet I'm already being hunted down? Don't fuck with me! Let go! Shit! Are you homo or what? Let go!" I ceased running and turned towards her.

"What? Aren't you Clare?" I ask her. This entire take-her-away-and-run plan is supposed to be going smoothly.

"What?" She, or he, slowly removed the mask he(oh great, it's a boy) was wearing. "I'm her brother. If you're looking for her, look for me. She's disguised as me today and me disguised as her. So what is this thing about my sister being hunted down?"

"Oh Shit." I manage to say. I got the wrong person!

"What now? Answer me!"

"Sorry," I say as I hit him in the neck. That should make him forget everything that happened today.

I started searching for Clare. Hopefully, this day would end up without a single fight. I just hope she's not caught by the other races, especially the Vampires.

**POV: Clare**

"And tell me exactly why you're here?" I ask Justin while trying to stop myself from giggling. "Uhm. What's your name again? Kenshin?" I laughed.

"I'll walk with you to school," He cracks a smile "Max. Hmm.. You look exactly like your brother."

"Don't I? Fine. I'll go with you since you're already here. But don't tell me you'll walk me to school everyday."

He pauses then finally grins at me "Nice idea. I'm planning to do that actually. I wont take no as an answer."

"Why?"

"Because I want to," he replies.

I cross my arms. "No you don't."

He smirks at me. "Don't make me prove it."

I was taken aback. Prove it? It was kind of childish but something told me that he's serious. He couldn't be serious right? Of course not.

We walked together to school. Somehow, Justin kept quiet. It was like he was looking out for something, someone.

Breaking the silence, he finally says something. "I'll be back. Stay here. Don't move a single inch." I was about to ask him why but he darted off into the woods. I was staring at Max's pair of shoes. Max is taller than me but his feet are definitely smaller. Or maybe mine is just bigger. But either way, it kind of hurts my feet when I try to run. Suddenly a hand grabs mine. I look at the guy that stood before me. He had brown hair and tall sleek body. He was pale but his skin had the feel of liveliness on it. He wore a white shirt and a black leather jacket. He wore pants and a pair of branded sneakers. Moreover, his eyes were of dull grey color but it seemed to slowly melt me. His lips were plush pink and his voice was angelic.

"Is your name Clare?" All I could do was nod. "Thank goodness you're alright. Let's go." He started running as he held my hand. He noticed that my feet were aching. "Ah, my apologies," he says as he carries me in his arms like a princess. I open my mouth to tell him to put me down but his suddenly fast running silenced me. He ran like a cheetah. No, maybe faster than a cheetah. I could barely breathe and he noticed it. He slows down with a smile. "Sorry."

**********

We arrived in what seemed like a mansion. It was a kingdom alright, but it was hidden. I've never heard of this kingdom before. I might have slept in some history classes but I'm sure I've never heard of it. The Iron Kingdom, as the people from it called it. It looked like a city from the old ages, small houses and a curved bridge above a flowing river. Many questions flooded my mind but I knew it wasn't the right time to spill them.

"My name is Alexander, but you can call me Alex. Ah, and please remove your mask. I'd like to see your face too." I obediently remove my mask.

"My name is Clare." He stared at me for quite some time until he managed to talk.

"You're beautiful," he says with a smile. I knew he was lying. Even my brother calls me ugly. How could a mere stranger say that I'm beautiful? Instead of saying anything, I chose to remain silent.

He led me inside the castle. It was magnificent, made of gold, silver, gems and such. I almost broke an ice glass vase myself.

"Don't be scared. We are still on Earth. It's just that this place is built in a different space. Confusing? Imagine a book. That book represents Earth. Every page represents a different space. For example, the space where you originally belong to would be page one while our space is page two. By bringing you with us to Iron Kingdom, we have brought you to our space which is page two. Now our space is our space and nobody can bring you to our space but us. There are a million other spaces in Earth. You might not understand it now, but you'll learn as you go," Alex says as we walk up a spiral stairs. He led me to a large room. There was a large glass window which occupied most of the other wall. From it, the whole kingdom could be seen. He sits in an old majestic chair. He smiles at me. "Welcome to Iron Kingdom, Clare. Welcome to the Kingdom of the Zombies."

I was stunned. "..Zombies?"

A man with long blonde hair appears from nothingness beside Alex. He smiles at me. His voice was smooth and gentle, like the wind. "Welcome. My name is Gable."

Alex ignores him and continues talking, "Yes. Zombies. We were once humans who died and regained life once again. If you think of it, we're just like normal humans, though our abilities are much more elevated. We don't hunger nor sleep," He pauses for awhile then finally smiles at me. "But we can also fall in love."

Before he could continue, Gable speaks, seemingly concerned and alarmed at what Alex had just said. "We are the third knowing beings. The first is the Humans, second is the Vampires, the fourth is the Hunters. You'd learn more about them in the future, but first, you have to know why you are here. From what I know, you've started having menstruation three years ago. That was the same time wherein the Vampires started becoming weak. Every time you would bleed or get hurt, the Vampires would lose some of their abilities. We have just confirmed that it was all because of you yesterday. The other races knew about it too and they've been planning to keep you in their custody. The Vampires would most likely try to kill you and we're trying to keep that from happening."

"Am I still sane?" Was all I could say. I love fairytales and folklores but I've never for a single second believed them, and now they're slamming all these stuff about Zombies, Hunters, and Vampires who want me dead.

"It would actually be better for you if you're just insane but Clare, you have to understand that the moment you became a lady, you're chained to this insanity and the challenge is to keep yourself sane," Alex tells me.

"I hate you," I say to Alex.

"That's normal," he says with a smile but it's clear that he got hurt by it.

"Alexander. The Vampires are here," Gable says as he disappears in midair.

"That's just one of the Zombie abilities. It's like teleportation but not quite." Alex stands up and grabs my hand. "Let's go. We'll pass by the basement. We have to leave."

"You're not leaving." That voice.. A guy smashes the glass window. It was Justin. He had scratches on his face because of the glass shards but they healed in a second. His eyes were bright green. I realized there was an eclipse and everything had turned dark. "Alexander. Give her to me."

"Justin. It's been long. What brings your race here?"

"You know what we've come here for. Give Clare to me."

"And for what? For you to kill her? I'm not letting you."

"You don't know anything!" Justin hisses in gritted teeth. "**WE** are the ones who are meant to protect her. Before you know it, you would be the ones hunting down Clare! Now, **Give. Her. To. Me!**"

"Not without a fight!" Alex rushes to Justin in a blink of an eye and attempts to hit him. Justin kicks him at the stomach but Alex recovers quickly and hits Justin. There was nothing I could do. They fought ferociously without a stop. The battle ended when Justin slams Alex to the ground.

"Leave, Alex. You're a billion years too early to beat me. Mark my words, Clare will be safe." Alex gives a final look at me then disappears. Justin recovers and turns to me.

".. J.. Justin.." I breathlessly say. I kind of guessed that Justin was good at fighting. He had muscles and he was very strong but it was the first time I've ever seen him fight. He had amazing agility and strength. It's almost like he's some hero from DotA or something, except that he looks more like a model.

He was quiet for a moment then suddenly rushes to me. He hugs me tightly and repeats my name over and over again, like he hasn't seen me for decades. "..Clare.." He softly whispers in my ear.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Sorry," Justin says, his head bent low.

"What?" I ask him.

"You know. Awhile ago, the hug."

"So you're a vampire?"

"Yes."

"Since when?"

"We're born, not created."

"Oh. Of course. At least you're born, not hatched," I reply. He tries to hide his laughter. "Tch. Now you're laughing."

"Sorry," he says yet he still has a glint of a grin on his face.

"When can I return back home?" He brought me to the kingdom of the Vampires, the Crimson Kingdom. It was larger than the Iron Kingdom. The houses were sturdier and there were large schools.

"Not yet. It will probably still be long before you can go home. We've taken care of things. Your family knows you can't return home for the meantime. You'll be living in the castle and you'll be transferring to one of our schools too. It's not safe for you to leave yet. After a few hours, the other races will start planning on how to kill you."

"Aren't you supposed to be the ones killing me? I am the reason you're weak am I right?"

"Don't believe what the Zombies told you. They don't know anything true yet. We were weak because you were weak. Let's say that heaven and hell are cursing our race or maybe blessing us, we still don't know which, but somehow, we grow weak when you are hurt. They probably told you about the menstruation stuff right? We're not weak because of your blood. We're weak because you become weak. If you die, we'll probably lose our abilities forever. Every Vampire in this kingdom is willing to die for your sake. We would protect you with all our might here. For now, you are like our Queen," he explains, smirking at me.

We're inside the castle now. Believe it or not, Justin is actually their prince or something. He's some kind of nobility in the land though. Seriously, it makes me laugh. He's never shown any noble behavior in our school.

Suddenly, a friend of Justin solidifies (that's how they call the teleporting stuff) beside Justin.

"Hey Justin. Your mommy's calling for you. I'll keep watch here," the unknown tells him.

"I'll be back Clare. Do not believe any crap he tells you." Justin gives his friend a glare before dissolving away.

The guy smiles at me. "Greetings. My name is Corbeau. Nice to meet you Clare." I just smile in reply. Truthfully, he gives me the creeps. "You're pretty amazing you know. You're the only one who was able to bring that guy back here."

"Pardon?" I ask him. Bring who back where?

"Ah, Justin didn't tell you? He ran away the second it was revealed to him he was a vampire. Seriously, he was quite a pain in the ass, you know. Everybody despaired for his leave. He was quite one of the smartest and the strongest, actually. He was at the top of the school and even though he was still a small brat, he beats every warrior in the land, whatever age they may be. Even so, the king and queen just let him be in the Human space. They even gave him a host family there. I see he's lived quite a life there huh? That bastard. Only came back here 'cause he needed help." He notices that I was barely smiling anymore and tries to change the topic. "But anyway, he's got himself quite a chick huh? So? Is he big? Did he satisfy you?"

"Uh. No. We're just friends."

He makes this ridiculous face. "WHAT? Friends? Fuck! All this just for a fucking friend? Believe me lady. No man would do all he did just for a friend. Come on. He had to swallow his pride and become what he doesn't want to be! He had to come back here and suffer the stares and looks of everyone! He wouldn't do that for a friend. He probably lo—" Justin suddenly solidifies and smacks him in the face.

"I wonder what kind of rubbish you're feeding Clare."

"Oi! Oi! Don't get too high and mighty! You stop branding me as a liar just 'cause I tell you little '_friend' _here about you. It's all true after all."

"Stop opening that filthy big mouth of yours. Don't make me story tell your whole miserable life at school tomorrow."

"Oh let's see who'll story tell whose life! For your information, yours was quite laughable."

"..And majestic. Ah, it must still be miserable for you to have lost our battle in just a single hit, and now you're trying to get a job as a storyteller. I pity you, my old friend, but remember, I'm still better," Justin brags with a wink.

"Bastard!" Justin sticks his tongue out while Corbeau shows his middle finger and dissolves away.

"So when exactly am I safe to leave?" Justin turns towards me and thinks.

"Now that you think of it, you'd never be safe. Don't worry. We'd find a way. We'll probably make a deal with the Devil or something though."

"The Devil? Won't he ask for something in return?"

"We'd just have to give what he asks for. But it takes quite a time to summon the Devil, about a few weeks or so. While we wait, we'll be going to school. It wouldn't be sweet though. They'd see you as a mere human and probably make fun of you, so I'll be with you. But first.." He grabs my hand. "..Let's eat. You're hungry aren't you?"

I grin. "You bet!"

He brought me to a restaurant not far from the castle. It was just like a normal restaurant. Justin told me not much Vampires go there because the food served is mainly Human food. We both ordered steak.

"Don't you drink blood?" I ask him. He smiles a faint smile.

"Don't bring that up right now that I'm hungry. I might suddenly jump on you."

"Not scared."

"You should be." His smile faded. "I'm serious. I kind of got used to the scent of human blood but I just cant get to get used to the smell of your blood. It's creepy. I still have to restrain myself every now and then you know. It's harder now that you know that I'm a vampire plus I'm surrounded by my kind. You should try keeping the word 'blood' away from your conversations. It's dangerous."

"You sound like a predator."

"I am." The waiter serves our meal and stomps away but I catch him glance at me with a frown. "See? Even the waiter is looking at you."

"You glared at him."

"Really? I didn't notice," he says but I know he did it intentionally.

I tried to eat normally. Just like old times when I and Justin would eat together at lunch, but somehow, it was different. Duh, all the Vampires are staring at us. Justin notices my nervousness and tries to lift the mood with several topics and ends up saying sorry and that he'd make sure next time, I'd be able to eat freely.

"You've got something there," he says, pointing to my mouth.

"Where?"

"Jeez. I've got it." He takes a grain of rice from the corner of my mouth and eats it.

"Stupid. You should have just brushed it away."

"I don't like wasting food."

"You don't need to. Next meal, I bet you'll be drinking bl— red stuff," I say, almost saying 'blood'.

Justin starts laughing and grins at me. "If you are trying to seduce me, you are doing a great job at it."

"Se—Seduce you? Keep dreaming. Hmph!" He just laughs it off and tells me I'm cute.

**********

My room was on the third floor of the castle. It was spacious. It had a big double bed, though I'm the only one who'll be sleeping on it. Justin's room was on the second floor. After taking a shower and dressing in the pajamas the maids prepared for me, I jumped on the bed and thought about the whole day. It was tiring, and I'd say deadly, but I guess this is the adventure of my life. I miss my family though. It might be months or maybe years before I could return back home. I sigh, turn of the lamp, and drifted into my dreams.

**********

I saw myself in a forest. It was cold and damp. My feet rested on a puddle of mud. I heard voices calling me. They were calling out for me. They screamed at me. They wanted me to help them. I look around, searching for them. Who are they? What do they need from me?

Suddenly, a dark shadow towered above me. The voices drifted away but the shadow before me filled my mind with fear. I struggle to run, desperately, tripping on the dark brown mud. The moonlight shone above my head, and light peered over my shoulders. I wasn't walking in mud, but on red crimson blood. Behind me, the shadow chuckled. His terrifying laugh seemed to bang to my ears. Once again, I heard the pleading voices. Before me, they appeared. They were souls. They were bloody souls, reaching out their hands toward me. I tremble in fear and screamed. The last thing I saw were flying ravens in the dark night sky, for a voice eased my pain. It was an angelic voice, repeating my name in urgency.

"Clare! Clare!" I gasp as I open my eyes and woke up from my terrible dream. The first things I see are the bright green eyes of Justin. "Clare.. Are you alright? You were having nightmares." I breathe frantically and tell him I'm alright.

Justin wouldn't listen to anything I said. He insisted on staying with me.

We slept together in the same bed, hand in hand, but more like Justin was hugging me. His beating heart seemed to calm mine which was trembling with fear while his breath seemed to save me from my fears.

Justin may be a vampire, but he's my own personal angel.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"You said you'd be with me. How come you're in a different class?"

"The student council probably did it. Don't worry. The vampires won't bite. They know what would happen if they did."

"What?"

"First, all of us would weaken. Second, I'm going to kill them."

"Oh."

I was assigned in class B-2. When I peeped inside, I thought it was quite a pretty normal class, just like the ones at my school, but when I entered, they all stared at me with desire. I was asked to sit at the back, beside a quite guy. He didn't seem to notice me and seemed to ignore my presence; meanwhile, the other girl beside me was full of energy. She didn't stare at me like everybody else in the room did and instead greeted me cheerfully.

"Hello!" She exclaims. I just smile at her. "You're a human aren't you?"

"Uhm.."

"I knew it! Nice to meet you. My name is Chenille. You're name's Clare right? Everybody's talking about you. The guy sitting next to you is Rayon. Don't think he hates you; he's really just a shy quiet man. You'll get used to him after some time. Don't get nervous about everyone else. They might be viciously staring at you, but they're actually kind. They won't bite you, they're just amused." I see she's pretty the talkative type. She continues talking, "I heard you brought Justin back! Aren't you amazing? Justin's strong, isn't he? When we were children, he beat the current student council president in just a single strike! Just beware. Many girls like Justin. They'll probably go after you. But let's not talk about Justin. Let's talk about you! Do you have a boyfriend already? Is it Justin?"

"**Chenille!**" The teacher bellows. Chenille quickly quiets down and smiles at me.

When the bell rang, Chenille literally dragged me to the canteen. It was just quite the typical canteen, except that they drink blood instead of water. When we arrived, Justin was already eating with some of his friends. He mouthed 'sorry' to me. Isn't that just great?

"Clare!" Chenille stubbornly says while dragging me to the counter. "What are you standing there for? What do you want to eat?" Even though she asked for my opinion, she was the one who chose my food in the end.

Chenille and I ate together. I specially ordered water, of course. When I did, the girl at the counter grinned at me, but gave what I ordered anyway. As I ate, I felt a hundred stares slowly burn a hole on my back. Chenille just smiled at me.

Far across the canteen was a long table. There were students wearing a different uniform seated there.

"Those are the student council," Chenille explains after seeing me stare at their direction. "They are composed of the ten smartest and strongest vampires in the school. When we were children, Justin was asked to join the council just for the sake of strengthening it even though he was still too young to study in the high school division, but he declined. The council insisted and things ended after Justin beat the crap out of the council president. Those you see seated there are of course, another batch of student council, but the one who leads them was once beaten by Justin too in a single hit."

"Who?"

"The president is Sage, the vice president is Kilim and the secretary is Rosette. The three are mainly the ones who do most of the job."

Sage, huh? I have a bad feeling about him. When I looked back on their table, I saw all of them looking at me. When they saw me look back, they grinned. It was fearsome, but I'm getting used to these insanities. If they do something filthy, I should survive and maybe make an enemy of them myself.

"Rayon! No seat? Sit with us!" Chenille invites Rayon to our table. He considers it for a second and finally sits with us. Everybody was now looking at us, and everyone is murmuring.

Rayon looks at me with a blank dull expression. I bring myself to smile at him. Miraculously, he smiles back. Now, even Chenille is surprised. Everybody is. Chenille tries to hide her shock and starts gibbering about random topics. I tried to listen to Chenille but somehow, I am disturbed by everyone's stares. Moreover, Rayon's stare, Justin's stare, and the council's stare. I see I've gotten myself into quite a trouble.

**********

"Sorry! I tried to reject them but they insisted on eating with me," Justin tries to explain.

"I wouldn't be so mad about it if you weren't staring at me."

"I wasn't staring at you. I was staring at that guy beside you."

"Rayon? Why were you all so shocked when he smiled anyways? It's almost as if he's not allowed to smile."

"Come with me. I'll show you something." He grabs my hand and brings me to the basement of the castle, inside a room filled with things covered in white sheets. There were cobwebs and it seems like the room hasn't been visited for a long time.

Justin pulls off one of the white sheets and reveals a fossil of a woman. No, it wasn't a woman but an animal that looks like a woman.

"Behold, the ancient mothers of our kind, the Groven. They were our first mothers, the ones who gave birth to the first Vampires. The last one of their kind died a few centuries ago. Their species didn't last long since every Vampire they gave birth to, they would meet their death. To be short, they're weak, but their extinction didn't really affect our kind, since we Vampires could mate with each other. My parents are Vampires, the King and the Queen. Rayon, that guy's parents were human and Groven. His mother died, of course but his father escaped our space and brought Rayon to the human world, but his father died soon after and Rayon had to live alone. A woman adopted Rayon but when Rayon reached his puberty, she died. Rayon came back here and ever since then, he hasn't smiled. Silence ruled his world, so much that you could call it social isolation. It's amazing that he opened up to you, but I don't like the fact that he fancies you."

"Oh. Jealous?" I say teasingly.

"What if I say yes?" His response stunned me but I just treated it as a joke.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go back up. It's nighttime."

**********

"Bitch. Don't get ahead of yourself just because we get weak when you do. That doesn't mean we won't scare you a bit," a girl, probably their leader, threatens me.

I've been brought to the backyard of the school by a group of girl psychopaths who wants Justin all for their own. They think I'm his girlfriend, and no matter what I tell them, they wouldn't believe that we're just friends. I guess you can't negotiate with idiots huh? I can run, but I know they run probably a hundred times faster than me, plus they've already cornered me. It's a given that they're stronger too. I can wound myself, but I hold no tool that can bring my blood squirting out. They'll probably do that for me though, since they're threatening me after all. What on earth is a human supposed to do on this situation? Let's see. Run, fight, or cry for help. I can already foresee what would happen if I do any of those though. I guess all I can do is talk myself out of this.

"Uh, let's see. Let me go and I'll bake you cookies?" I offer with a half-assed smile. Ok, that one totally failed.

"Oh no. We'll just turn you into a cookie. I wonder how. How do you make cookies again? Was it a slap first or burning your hair?" she threatens, lifting her hand, ready to smack me hard, but when she was about to hit me, somebody held her hand.

It was Rayon.

"Its.. Unsightly.. for girls to fight."

"Let me go!!" The girl struggles to free her hand, but Rayon just tightens his grip and throws her. The other girls growl and jump at him, but Rayon dodges and with a swing of his hand, a strong gust of wind causes the girls to fall.

"It's not long before they recover. Let's go!" Rayon grabs my hand and runs.

Before we left, I shouted to them. "PSYCHO!!" Both of us laughed and ran to the school garden. We both sit at the bench, panting yet laughing.

It was the first time I've actually noticed Rayon's features. He had black hair but it looks bluish under the sun. His eyes were lively blue and his voice was deep yet melodic.

"Thank you for saving me," I thank him while smiling. He smiles back and says welcome. He starts complimenting how blue and free the sky looks.

"Her name was Patina. She had this wonderful reddish hair and warm hazel brown eyes," Rayon says.

"Excuse me?" I ask him confusedly. Who is he describing?

"You know about it right? Patina was the one who adopted me in the human world. I was happy with her. We lived a simple yet blissful life, but everything ended when she died. That was the darkest times of my life. All those times, I lived like a normal human. I've gotten used to the scent of blood. But the day that Patina died, I remembered that I was a Vampire. An immortal Vampire." When he finished talking, I was stunned.

"You're.. immortal?"

"Oh. You didn't know? At a certain point in our life, we stop aging and retain our face. The age is different for everybody, but it's always below 31 years old. I've stopped aging just this year. I can see that Justin will almost stop aging himself, about in a year or two. That's why.." Rayon pauses for awhile, "That's why it's hard for a Vampire and a human to mate. The girl gives birth to a Dhampir, a half human and half vampire. The child usually dies, but some manage to survive. Dhampirs are adept at killing and detecting us Vampires, but some of them stay loyal to their bloodline."

"Why do you trust me?" I ask him, trying to stop myself from thinking of human and vampire relationships.

"When Patina died, I returned here. Ever since then, I tried to stop myself from returning to the Human space. I feared that if I go back, I would just cause pain to myself but I longed to see a human, and you've given me that chance, without having to return to the Human space. Thank you," He says with a smile.

**_"Ahem. Ahem. Mike test. Mike test. Attention! Clare and Rayon, the student council is calling for you. Again, Clare and Rayon, the student council is calling for you."_**

**********

"Beware of them."

"Who?"

"The Student Council."

"No, I mean, which? The president, vice president and the secretary?"

"**All** of them."

Rayon looked serious now. He was even sweating. When we were just outside the student council room, he paused. Suddenly, he bent down and kissed my forehead. It happened so fast it made my heart skip a beat.

He smiles at me and reassures me, "You'll be fine."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Welcome! Welcome! Clare and Rayon, I suppose?" It was a guy with red hair and sharp black eyes. I suppose he's the president since he was sitting in the president's chair. The other members just leaned at the walls and grinned at us. "My name is Sage. I am the student council president. It's nice to meet you. Please be seated." Both of us sat at the two chairs facing the president. "I heard both of you got into a fight? Yes?"

"Uhm," I stutter.

"Yes," Rayon replies. "We weren't the ones who started it. There was a group of girls who were—"

Sage cuts him off with a smile. "Oh no, no, no. That was just my own personal question. I didn't call both of you here for that. No, of course not. Rayon, you're just here because I guessed that Clare would be nervous so I thought you would be able to help her calm down. Now Clare, it's nice to meet you."

"Ah, yes. It's nice to meet you too." I smile faintly.

"Are you and Justin? You know, together?"

"No!" I answer defensively. Some of them laughed, and some just smiled.

"Ah. Then you and Rayon?"

"Ehhhhhhh?"

"Ah sorry. I guess I'm intruding on private affairs. Yes, yes. I'm terribly sorry. I'll make this brief then. I know you are a good friend of Justin. Actually, a friend of his has come from a very faraway place. Actually miles and miles away. I want you to meet her at the airport and keep her company until she arrives here at school since she'll be staying at the dormitories. You'll be excused of your absences too, of course."

"Who is she and how will I know it's her?"

"Her name is Topaz. Trust me, you'll quickly know if it's her or not. Just trust your instincts. Pardon me, but you would be all alone in keeping her company. She brought guards and maids though, so you'll be safe when you're with her already."

**********

I'm at the airport waiting now for Topaz. I'm not alone though. Rayon and Chenille went with me, not caring whether they skip classes or not. I think Justin's not informed about Topaz and me accompanying her, since if he did, he'd be rushing here now. I guess Topaz is a surprise huh? I never thought the council would be so kind to prepare a surprise for Justin.

"I'm surprised the council didn't punish us for the fight. They're usually serious about fights. The punishments are deadly too," Rayon says.

"Well, if you're worried about punishments, why did you even skip classes?" I ask them.

Rayon was the first to defend himself, "Well I can't just leave you defenseless, can I?"

Then came Chenille, "Well I can't just leave you with a vicious man beast, can I?"

"Okay, okay. So can you tell me more about this 'Topaz' girl?"

"Well, I don't really know much about her. She was Justin's best friend when we were still very young. They were always together and sometimes, they would even sleep together. She was very kind to us, but I heard some rumors that she was actually mentally deranged," Rayon creepily says, ending it with a laugh.

"You're making her sound like a psychopath! Actually, her parents took her to another place, still in the vampire space, but far. This caused Justin so much shock, more after hearing that he was actually a vampire. He saw himself as a blood-sucking beast and he hated it. It was probably too much for him, so he left and went to the Human space," Chenille explains.

"Oh! I'm guessing it's her. There! With the long red hair." Rayon points at a beautiful girl descending from an airplane, accompanied by guards and maids.

"We have to go now Clare or we'd miss our next class." Chenille kisses my forehead and frowns while Rayon hugs me goodbye.

Now I need to make it out of here alive and kicking. This shouldn't be too hard right?

But I was wrong. I was downright wrong. Everybody was waiting for her. They crowded onto her like she was some model or something. No, maybe like she was some president of United States. It was hard to get to her. Fortunately, she wasn't some spoiled brat bitch. She let me into her car and we drove to a hotel. It was pretty good at first though, until we reached the hotel.

I cooked the food, even though she had maids. I prepared Korean style food, since her dress was kind of Korean-like.

"I prepared a Korean cuisine." I offer her the food. She suddenly cried. "Is.. is something wrong?" She didn't even taste it yet but she's already crying? Goodness help me here!

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Clare! I can't bring myself to eat that. I have a bad experience about Korea. You see, I was invited to this party. They.. they said it was a costume party so I dressed as Wonder Woman, but it was actually a formal party! Can you imagine being me? I was the only one wearing a costume there, Clare! The only one! Then.. then they tried to poison me! I almost choked to death! I didn't almost die of the poison but because I choked! Thos who tried to kill me must have laughed! They laughed at me Clare! It was so embarrassing!" She continued crying so I wasn't left with any choice.

"Alright, alright. I'll cook something else."

"Are you sure? It's okay if you don't. I'll just have to keep myself alive until tomorrow. I'll probably starve and my soul will be cursed and drained and.."

"Yes, yes. I'm sure."

This time, I made Japanese cuisine. Maybe I was wrong with her dress. Maybe it's more of Japanese. But maybe I shouldn't judge the book by its cover.

"Japanese cuisine, My Lady." I present her the food and she cried again. What am I to do with her?

"I'm sorry Clare! I can't eat Japanese food! The Japanese were the ones who killed my human best friend! They had guns and tanks! They didn't even show any mercy! She was so sweet and kind. She had such red lips and her eyes looked so wonderful! She looks just like a living doll! But they killed her for no reason at all! How could they do that to her?"

Okay. Why didn't I hear any of that in my history lessons? Tanks? Who would use tanks against a single person, probably a little girl? I have a feeling that I'm just being fooled here. But even so, I gave it another try. One last try.

"Mademoiselle, French cuisine."

She burst into tears. Oh, may hell take her soul. Just what is wrong with her?

"Sorry Clare. I just can't eat French cuisine. You see, when I was in France, there was a guy who tried to rape me! He said I had huge boobs and.. and.."

"I'll cook again."

"Thank you," she says.

"Oh and please wipe your tears. You look like a bitchy whore, and you aren't, right Topaz, my friend?" She tried to hide her anger, but it was clear that it hit her hard. I knew it; all she said about Korea, Japan, and France are all made-up stories just so she can find an excuse not to eat all that I prepared for her.

She's trying to kill me with cooking? Fine. Well, I'm going to kill her with my cooking. She thinks she can push me around just because I'm a human? Well she chose the wrong person to anger. I'm guessing it's time to bare my claws at her.

I offered her the food. It was commoner's food. Since she doesn't like cuisines, then I'll offer her food for the commoners. It's just soup actually. Some hell of a soup. Her lying time is over. It's my time to lie.

"What cui.. cuisine is this?" she asks. She's probably thinking if its cuisine or not.

"It's origin is unknown. Very famous among all countries. People wanted to keep it unique so they left it nameless."

"But I'm—" She tries talk but no, I will not let her.

"Apparently, it doesn't cause any kind of allergy even to Vampires. It can also cure traumas and sicknesses. Generally, it's a food for everyone. I ensure you, my friend Topaz, that this food will make you feel all better. Why don't you taste it now?"

"Ah but.."

"Ah yes, you should be tired from all that crying. I'll feed you then." I picked up the spoon and stuffed the soup in her mouth. "Doesn't it taste wonderful? Even the Kings and Queens of lands take it everyday to make sure they remain healthy. She swallowed it. It was clear on her face that she didn't like it. I specially made it taste dull. Feel my wrath!

"What are the ingredients to this?"

"Ah, I don't really remember. But I'm sure it had some cockroach in it. Some worms too, to add to the taste. Isn't it amazing?" She was green now. Disgusted, I see. Well she should be. I stuff another mouthful into her mouth then gave her the spoon. "Enjoy it, my friend. I've prepared it especially for you. Good night. Sleep early okay?" I smile mockingly at her and left the room.

I flopped on my bed, tired. That bitch! I she didn't make me cook four times, I wouldn't be so tired. The council probably planned this. Punishment I see. I wonder how Rayon's doing. He's probably being punished too. I hope he's alright.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

I arrived at school with Topaz, fortunately, in one piece. I could have sworn I almost died on the way here. I don't really want to talk about it, but if you look at the car we used, well it doesn't have a roof anymore. My school uniform was torn into bits that Rayon had to lend me his jacket.

Rayon got somehow tortured. He was asked to go to the Southern Woods and retrieve Sage's teddy bear. It happened to be inside a lion's den. Rayon successfully sneaked inside. He thought everything was easy until he found the teddy bear being used as a pillow by one of the lions. He tried to get it without awakening the lion but it did awaken. You probably think it would be easy for a Vampire to kill a lion. It is easy, but it isn't a normal lion. It was a Vampiric Lion, plus the council ordered Rayon not to kill anyone or anything. It's almost a miracle that Rayon survived.

Everyone met us at the hall. I kept quiet beside Rayon and Chenille, the three of us behind Topaz as she was welcomed by everyone. I kept my thoughts to myself.

"Oh, Topaz! It's been long!" That was long? For humans yes, but for Vampires, no.

"Topaz, do you still remember me?" Give it up. That bitch doesn't remember you.

"Your hair looks awfully wonderful!" More like awful. Rayon notices me grinning like an idiot and giggles. I gave him an I'll-deal-with-you-later look. He just grins at me.

Finally, Justin appears. He smiles at me but frowns after realizing that Rayon was beside me.

"Topaz. It's been 8 years 6 months and 15 days. How are you?" What? He counted?

"I've been fine." Everybody was cheering Justin on. So they're the couple of the school, huh?

"I'm sure you're hungry. Let's go to the canteen." Justin offers, leading her inside the school.

For the whole morning, all I saw was Justin and Topaz this, Justin and Topaz that. I don't understand why it bothered me actually. But lunchtime bothered me the most. I mean, what the hell is Justin thinking? I prefer not being talk to than having a sickening conversation, actually.

I arrived at the canteen quite late. Rayon and Chenille were already eating. When I got my food, my gaze fell on Justin's table. No, more like Justin and Topaz's table.

I was heading to Rayon and Chenille when Justin suddenly calls me.

"What?" I ask, half annoyed half trying to keep myself calm.

"It's been long since we've eaten together. Since it's only me and Topaz in this table, why don't you join us?"

"No thanks," I instantly reply. "Rayon and Chenille are waiting for me. I might as well give you privacy too."

As I turned to walk away, Justin calls me once again, his voice mixed with a tone of authority. I slowly turn towards him.

"Claire, are you mad at me?" I was surprised by his question.

"No. Of course not. What causes you to think so?"

"You've been avoiding me lately."

I put my right hand on me waist, while trying to balance the tray on my left hand.

"Lately? Like since when?"

"To.. today."

I push myself to smile at him. I AM angry at him after all, but I didn't want him to know because I simply don't know why.

"See? You're worrying too much." I was still retaining my fake smile, but it was pretty hard. Unfortunately, I'm not good at lying. Maybe I should ask for training from Topaz.

"You're smile is obviously fake."

Sweat-drops. I guess he knows me too well. Escape time.

I turn around and walk rapidly, aiming for the exit. I was still balancing the tray on my left hand, unconsciously. Why do I feel like some maid on the run? Just imagining it makes me want to puke. Maid uniform doesn't suit me well.

I heard him stand up, causing some water to spill and plates to break. Is he angry or what? I don't know but I sure didn't have the time to look around. Finally remembering that I run like a turtle compared to vampires (not mentioning they can do the teleport thing), I throw my tray to the air and attempt to run, but before I knew it, Justin was already standing behind me. He grabs my hand and makes me face him. On his other free hand, he catches my tray with my food still intact.

"Tell me Clare, why are you angry?" He was gripping my hand tightly, but gently.

"I.. I'm not angry."

Justin was about to respond when Rayon effortlessly frees my hand from Justin.

"Stop this Justin. You're creating a mess. Quite a big mess if you don't stop it now," Rayon threatens, glaring at Justin.

Justin looked like he wasn't afraid and was ready to jump at Rayon at any moment, but he finally calms down and apologizes. He grudgingly returns my tray and sits back down with Topaz.

**********

It was quiet. Justin sat paces away from me. We were in the castle's library. Out of the sake of doing it, he wore glasses that didn't have a grade. He was flipping pages, one after another. He might think he was staring at the page for enough time for me to think he was actually reading it, but he flipped the pages way too fast. He wasn't reading. He was anxiously annoyed at the quiet atmosphere.

I have to say it was the same for me. All that bound us together was silence. It was irritating.

"Oi," I call out faintly to him. He flinches but ignores me. "Hey big fat meanie!" He seriously heard me this time now and I could see creases on his forehead, but he just flips a page. "Just to tell you, I'm not angry at you." He ignores me once again.

Tsk. That guy's unbelievable. I start throwing crumpled paper at him. First hits the book he was reading. The second hits his hand. The third misses him, but the fourth hits his head. This time, he turns toward me, enraged. Uh oh.

But he pulls out a grin. "So you want to play huh?" In a split second, we were already ripping papers out from books, crumpling them and throwing them at each other. It was quite a mess really. The tables were flipped for defense, and books piled up on the floor.

We ended up laughing at each other.

"So you're really not angry?" he says, smiling at me.

"I wonder."

"Hey. You said you weren't awhile ago." I just stick my tongue out at him and laugh. "Were you hurt by our little game?"

"Nah. You think paper can hurt me? Plus you obviously went easy on me. I'm sure you could have thrown it so hard I could go flying back to school."

"Even if I could, I wouldn't. I wouldn't hurt my little princess," He says with a grin.

**********

"And so everybody, please choose a partner of opposite sex. You can choose from any of your batch mates. The challenge starts tomorrow," the teacher instructs us.

Apparently, there will be a survival challenge and we get to choose our partners except that it should be of our opposite sex. There probably won't be anyone who'd pair up with me; after all, I'm just a human. In the end, Rayon would pair up with Chenille while Justin would choose Topaz.

But things didn't turn out that way.

Rayon instantly turns toward me with a serious expression.

"Rayon?"

"Clare. I'll make this quick. Would you be my—"

Rayon gets cut off when the door slammed open. Justin enters, panting and sweating. He quietly murmurs to himself.

"I was such in a hurry that I forgot I could just solidify here. Goodness, my brain mustn't be working well! Why is my classroom relocated at the other side of the school anyways?" His gaze falls on Rayon and me. Rayon, who saw Justin's arrival, quickly fell on his knees, attempting to finish what he was saying.

Justin instantly shouts at him, "Rayon! You cheat! Stop that!"

"Tch!" Rayon glares at him and speaks to me, "Clare, would you please be my—"

Justin solidifies beside Rayon and covers his mouth. Gazing at me, Justin says, "Clare. Would you be my partner?"

Everybody remained quiet, frozen, stunned, shocked, stupefied. And that includes me.

Just what exactly is this situation I'm in?


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"What's the prize?"

"Don't know. They said we'll know when we finish it though."

"So what is this survival challenge?"

"We just go past all their traps and nonsense crap and reach the finish line."

I'm not liking this idea. I ended up being partners with Justin. He's all so confident about the challenge though. _Don't worry. I'll protect you._ was what he said.

The challenge started early in the morning. Justin and I started off by walking, while the rest started running.

"Are you insulting me Justin? Why are we walking?"

He just laughs it off. "No. Let the idiots be. We're not the only ones starting off with walking anyway. We have to save our energy. I'll carry you part of the way since your stamina is low. We'll be journeying for most of the day. The way to the finish line is, you could say, miles away. Magic was used to make it seem near and it seems the others were tricked."

The challenge was easier than I thought though, mostly because Justin was with me. There were pit holes, and hundreds of traps. There was even a time when we had to carefully look at the ground since there were almost transparent nylons lying around, but I failed terribly and triggered a trap, which sent a flying log to us.

I was starting to get confident about the challenge. I don't really care about winning, I'm contented in surviving.

"Something's wrong," Justin says.

"What? You're pregnant?"

"You've got quite an imagination but no. This is a challenge and not a race, but still, the others would be heading for first place. By the way, we're not aiming for first place."

"Good. I was aiming for last anyways. They get the least credit, but that doesn't change the fact that they also won."

"Well anyways, the others are heading for first place. Normally, there would be partners reaching the finish line already, but so far, there hasn't been anything being announced yet."

"Which means?"

"Common sense, Clare. Common sense."

"Stop insulting me. Just say it."

"Meaning there's not a single pair who reached the finish line. Someone or something is eliminating them."

_**"Ahem. Ahem. Mike test. Mike test. Everyone in the challenge, please retreat immediately. There are intruders. Again, everybody retreat!"**_

"See? There's something wrong." Justin grabs my hand and starts to run, but someone blocks our way.

Alexander.

"You're not leaving," he says, grinning at Justin. "If I broke some glass window or something, wouldn't you feel the irony?"

Justin glares back, but this just annoys Alexander. He pushes Justin, causing both of us to hit a tree. Fortunately, I wasn't wounded. Alexander just chuckles. He's enjoying this. Justin lets go of my hand and jumps at Alexander. Alexander teleports behind Justin and attempts to hit him, but Justin quickly turns around and punches Alex. Alex receives a wound at the corner of his mouth from the punch, but he just wipes it away and snickers. He jumps at Justin and slams him to the ground.

"Can you feel the irony now, Justin? I still remember the words you said. A billion years too early? I guess not," he boasts as he lands a punch of Justin's face, but Justin just grins. Justin takes his chance and punches Alex and quickly kicks him. Alex coughs out blood. He was now frowning, and then suddenly, his gaze fell on me. He grins as he solidifies beside me. I look at him in horror. What is he planning?

"Don't worry. I won't kill you," he promises. I could see his nails growing sharply. He slashes my neck and blood flows out. I groan in pain. I look at Justin. He was weakening.

"Shit," Justin says as he falls to the ground. "Don't you dare touch her any further with you filthy hands, Alex!"

Alex turns toward him, grinning from ear to ear. "It isn't the time to be worrying about someone else, is it? You're weak! How do you plan on beating me?"

"I'll figure that out," Justin says, rushing at Alex, but Alex effortlessly pushes him away.

"See? Just admit your lose Justin! I'm not after you, after all. I just want to take Clare away."

"Tch! Keep dreaming, bastard!" He rushes once again at Alex. Alex dodges and punches him at the stomach. He kicks him away. It happened again and again. Justin was losing. He was bloody from top to bottom that it was hard for me to continue watching them.

"Hah! Is that all you've got?" Alex boasts as he kicks Justin just beside me. I couldn't watch it any longer. I can't just let Justin get beaten to pulp by Alex. I knew what I had to do.

I pulled Justin's mouth to my neck, where blood was pouring from Alex's attack. I could feel Justin's fang. He was trembling.

"Wh.. what are you doing, Clare?" He faintly asks.

"Drink. From what I know, vampires grow stronger by drinking blood right? Drink mine."

"Shit!" He says in frustration. "You know I can't resist your blood!"

It was painful as he sank his fangs on my skin, but I endured. The pain faded in a few seconds, and finally, Justin pulls back, blood dripping from his mouth. In a split second, his wounds healed and his eyes glowed bright crimson red.

He smiles at me, pained and saddened. "Sorry, and thank you." I smile back, but all I could manage was a faint smile. I don't even know if he knew I smiled. He hugs me tightly.

"What's with all this drama?" Alex mockingly asks, but I saw him shudder when Justin stood up and faced him. Without lifting a single finger, Justin caused Alex flying to a tree. I sensed a new power in Justin. Was it because of my blood? It shouldn't be.

Alex recovers and rushes at Justin. Again, Justin sends Alex flying. Alex recovers again, and solidifies behind Justin. He tries to hit him, but Justin just stared at him. Alex pauses for awhile but decides to continue his attack, Justin's eyes narrowed and suddenly, an invisible force pulls Alex on his knees. Alex was gripping his neck, as if someone was trying to choke him to death.

"Let.. me.. go!" Alex manages to say. It couldn't be. I look at Justin. He was just staring at Alex, like he was some pest. Another invisible force pushed Alex from the side, causing him to fall on the ground, gripping at his neck. Finally, the force disappeared, leaving Alex coughing blood.

"Tch." Justin just stares at Alex, probably wondering whether to step on him or not, and ends up walking over him towards me. Suddenly he stood frozen, looking at me. No, looking at the guy who stood beside me. The guy smiles at Justin and holds me head. What?

The last thing I saw was Justin running towards me, his hand reaching for me, and then darkness came.

**********

My eyes opened to a bright light. I saw a face of a guy looking down on me. He had purple mesmerizing eyes which matched with his blonde hair. He was smiling at me. I feel so high, like I'm floating. I looked down.

"Eh?" My eyes widens as I realize that the guy was carrying me like a princess. "Let me down! Let me down!!!!"

"What? Stop struggling! Do you really want to fall head-on to floor?" I grudgingly stop and cross my arms.

"Pervert."

"Heh. No I'm not. I'm not interested in flat chested girls like you."

I remember the first time my chest was touched by a guy, Justin, to be exact. He did it on purpose actually. He went up to me one day and asked me if he could touch my breast. I was stunned, but he didn't let me lecture him. He quickly placed his hand on my chest, and left me stupefied. He removed his hand after five seconds and smiled at me. He said he was just protecting my first, since I didn't want some old geezer to be the first one to touch my chest. But still, don't you think it was outrageous? We were even reported for public display of affection. I mean, like what the hell?

"That's good. That just means you haven't held it." I stick my tongue out at him. He just snickers.

"My name is Saffron," he says with a wink.

"Tch. Who asked?"

I close me eyes, trying to remember what happened. My eyes burst open when I remembered about Justin. I looked around. I was in another castle, as luxurious as the Crimson Kingdom's castle, but more golden. Huge paintings of crowned men hung from the walls.

I glare at the guy who was carrying me. "Where am I? What did you do to Justin?"

"Easy there. I didn't do anything to that guy. He's way too powerful for me. I just took you here. Don't worry. We won't hurt you. We'll protect you here, in fact."

"Where exactly?"

"The Golden Kingdom; the kingdom of the fourth knowing species, the Hunters."

Upon the second floor, people wearing formal outfits solidified. They were staring down at us. Slowly, they filled up the whole floor. They all smiled at me.

They all say in unison. "Welcome to our humble abode, Clare Grandier."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Hello meow~!" She greets me. She wore cat ears, cat whiskers and even a cat tail. Goodness, I'm never good at dealing with cats.. and with people who act like cats.

"Oi Vanilla. Don't pester the lady. She's a dog in disguise." Vanilla, as Saffron called her, whimpers away.

I quickly stand up and point at him. "Who you calling a dog? You beast!"

He just winks at me. "Yep, I'm a real beast on the bed. Want to try me for free?"

"Hell no. Can you see it? You make my skin crawl! Ugh." I sit back on the chair and picks up a magazine on the table nearby.

Somehow, I'm stuck inside this air conditioned room with a cat-like girl and a pervert.

"I'll be back," Saffron says as he leaves the room.

Now, I'm just stuck with a cat-like girl. At least the pervert's gone. The girl slowly sits beside me. I just smile nervously at her. Suddenly, she goes around the room, seemingly looking for something. She retuned with a picture of a boy. He had spiky blonde hair and seemingly scars on his face, giving each of his cheek three whiskers.

"This is the picture of Oturan. He's the one I love! Meow~!" She exclaims. Why does the boy look familiar? I think I've seen him in an anime or something. Must be my imagination. But the boy isn't what struck me the most. Love?

Unconsciously, I ask Vanilla, "What is love?"

"Love is a feeling of affection to someone else, meow. When you're with that someone, your heart goes ba-dump ba-dump! You feel safe with him and you want to be with him forever, meow!"

"Ah," I say with a sigh. Why the hell did I just think of Justin? No. Could it be?

"Is it someone from the Hunters, meow? Saffron?"

"Anyone but that guy!" I furiously exclaim.

"Then, a vampire?" I didn't reply. "That's bad, meow! They're immortal beings. When you die, he'll just forget about you, meow!"

I smile faintly. "I know, right?"

Saffron suddenly enters the room and holding a guitar while singing a song.

" _From the east to the west, _

_All I see is you.. Whoo ooh._

_I guess this just means a single thing_

_I think I'm in love with you~ _

_Barahaha! Yeah! Barubachuchu!!! _"

"What are you singing? What the hell is Barubachuchu?" I angrily exclaim, throwing a magazine at him.

"Oi. At least be happy you heard my golden voice. I rarely sing you know."

"Why are you singing anyways?"

"Nothing. I just feel like it. I've been feeling like this ever since I've seen you."

"And I've been feeling like killing you from the moment I've seen you."

"HAHAHA! Do you really expect anyone to sing you a song?"

Justin did. He sang a song for me, and he was even the one who wrote the lyrics. It was a love song, but I was guessing that he was just making fun of me. Days before Valentines Day, I was gibbering about wanting a guy to write a song and sing it for me. I mean, that was just my own personal fantasies, but on Valentines Day, he actually invites me to his home and sings a song to me. I couldn't help but smile, but deep inside I knew he was just kidding me.

"Shut up," I grudgingly say.

"Oh somebody did?" He curiously asks, grinning.

"It was just a silly joke."

"I was just guessing, but oh well."

"You little.." I say as I lift my fist.

"It's that red eyed hotty, isn't it? The strong one?"

"You sound like a perverted homosexual rapist."

"That's a strange combination, but cool! So it's him huh?"

"I told you to shut up, didn't I?"

He suddenly grabs my hand and drags me out the room. "Let's go."

"To where?"

"The King Hunter. He wants to talk to you."

The king sat on a golden throne. He was huge, gigantic in fact, but he looked kind with his white, curly beard and mustache. He wore a golden crown and some silver rings.

"Thank you for bringing her here, my son," The king says. Who he speaking to? Saffron?

"No worries," Saffron formally says.

"Act and speak with respect."

"Ah, sorry."

"_Pardon, your Highness_."

"Pardon, your Highness."

"Good."

I chuckle in a low volume, enough so that Saffron would be the only one to hear me. "So you're a prince huh?"

Saffron grins in reply.

"Anyway," My gaze returns to the king. "We hunters are humans that are injected with a solution that lets us have superior human skills to be able to par with zombies and vampires. We eliminate them and make the world a safer place for the humans. Your health is their health, Clare. We don't want to kill a human, so we'll just weaken the vampires by inflecting a small wound to you every now and then."

"Oh." I sheepishly reply. Wait. What?

"Saffron."

"What?"

"Injure her a little."

I wonder where he'll injure me. I don't want to be a burden to the vampires but I can't possibly run away, can I? Suddenly, I felt fangs pierce my neck.

It was Saffron.

I screamed. He wasn't drinking my blood though. He quickly pulls away then kisses my wound afterwards.

"Sorry."

"Tch! Why do you have fangs anyway?"

"You didn't drink her blood, did you?" The king asks Saffron, eyes narrowed.

"No. But it tastes great," he replies, smirking at me. I glower at him.

"Saffron was born Dhampir, half Vampire, and half Human. When the Hunters didn't exist yet, I was married to a beautiful woman. I didn't know she was a vampire. When I found out, I volunteered to be one of the first Hunters. I went out to kill her, but I found her cradling a baby in her arms. I found out that she bore our child, Saffron. After killing her, I kept Saffron. When he turned to the right age, I turned his human self into a Hunter. Saffron is half Vampire, half Hunter. A strong combination, indeed."

"Your Highness, meow~! The Vampires are heading here!" Vanilla reports, solidifying beside me.

"They're done with the Zombies?" The king asks, surprised.

"Yes, meow~! It was deadly! Most of the troops were disabled by their leader, meow~!"

"Who?"

"Justin, meow~!"

I was stunned by hearing Justin's name. Justin is the one leading the vampires?

"What is happening?" I ask them.

"The Vampires are trying to rescue you. Their first guess was that the Zombies were the ones who captured you. Seems like they went there and fought the Zombies, but of course they didn't find you. Well, since it has come to this, you are leaving this Kingdom."

"What? Where will I go?"

"To the Thunder Kingdom, the kingdom of the fifth knowing beings, the Thunderbirds."


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

What is the king saying? Thunderbirds? I've never heard of them.

"There are only four knowing beings," I tell him.

"No. Nobody could possible explore the million spaces of Earth. Among those million spaces, there could be hundreds or even thousands of other knowing beings we aren't aware of. Currently, we Hunters are the only ones who know the existence of the Thunderbirds. We've become allies with them, and we've told them all about our situation. They're willing to help us, and we're sending you off to them."

"Your Highness, meow~! We have to prepare the portal to the Thunder Kingdom immediately! Even though they are weakened, the Vampires are still moving at an incredible speed. They would reach us within two hours, meow~!"

"I see. They're not using portals. It would, after all, take them five hours to cast one, whereas we could do it in about two hours. Vanilla, I'll leave the casting of the portal to you."

"As you wish, Your Highness, meow~!" Vanilla dissolves away.

Saffron grabs me and takes me away. I continuously asked him where we were going but he just grinned at me. He took me to the roof of the castle. I had to hold on to him or else I would fall. Isn't the pervert using sneaky tricks?

"Where are you exactly taking me to? Is this a tour? Where will you take me next? The bathroom?"

"I just might," He says smirking at me.

"I am so fucking killing you."

"Now, now. Save that for later. For now, enjoy the sight." He points to the sky.

What could possibly be so magnificent enough to take me he—

Creeping out of the mountains, seemingly peering out to the Kingdom, was the rising sun. Its light seemed to glow like a huge bulb in the sky, lighting up hopes of poor beggars, leading the path for a thousand lost souls. It was magnificent and heartwarming.

"I hope this memory would remain with you forever, this moment of gazing at the rising sun with me. Then whenever you see the rising sun, you would think of me. You would think of the moments we shared together. The time you spent here in Golden Kingdom. Whenever you see the rising sun, you would utter "Saffron" and you would want to see me. Then maybe your mind would be filled with nothing but me and by some time, I would reach your heart. I hope I would be engraved in your heart forever, then you wouldn't forget me even through the ages that pass by and you would always feel my presence even if you can't see me."

"What foolishness are you saying Saffron? You sound like you're about to die."

"Yeah. Let's go back inside already. You'll need to enter the portal soon."

When we were off the roof, I quickly ran away. Sorry Saffron, I don't intend on going anywhere except back to Crimson Kingdom.

**********

I open door one. It was a bedroom. Nope, not good for hiding. Room two to room one hundred were all bedrooms. Exactly how many bedrooms does this castle have? Tch! I don't have time for room exploring. I'll just head to the library, at least I know where that is, but wait; won't that be where Saffron would be expecting me to go? Ugh! I hate hide and seek!

I decided to run down the first floor. Outside, the sun had already totally risen. Where would you hide a tree? In a forest. Where would I hide? In a crowd of people, or Hunters in this case.

I dart off towards the gate, but somebody tugs my hair.

"Oi. Where do you think you're going?" Saffron asks. It was a stupid question, really. It's obvious where I was headed to after all.

"Ow! Ow! Let go of my hair Saff!!"

"Oh. So now you're calling me Saff?"

I grin at him "Don't you like it? It's cute, especially for a dog like you."

"A dog, huh?" He grabs my ear and drags me back into the castle.

I endlessly complain when he finally lets go of my ear.

"That totally hurts! I think my eardrum is broken!"

"That's nonsense. I would have believed it if you said your ear is falling off, but oh well."

He suddenly licks my ear. I quickly push him away, surprised.

"What was that all about?" I angrily ask him.

"I thought I was a dog? If so, then I'd be your dog. Don't dogs do these to their masters?" He kisses my ear and slides his hand to my neck, slowly moving down my spine. I quickly push him away, panting.

"They do not!"

"Oh? Did you enjoy it? Panting so much and sweating. I don't mind you denying, really. Just give me the word and I'll give you more pleasure no man in the world could ever give you."

"Is that kind of huge pride some guy thing?"

He laughs. "Yeah, probably." He stops laughing and looks at me seriously. "There's thirty minutes left until you have to leave."

I silently nod in reply. I don't really want to leave and go off to some unknown place. If I go there, even Justin probably won't be able to find me.

**********

"Waiting time's almost up. The portal's almost finished. Saffron, you need to go already. The Vampires have just arrived. Mind holding them off a bit until the portal's complete?

"No problem. Leave it to me." He looks at me one last time then leaves.

Goodness, this is so complicated. I'm stuck within Humans, Vampires, Hunters, and Zombies. Which side am I really? Logically, I would be on the side of the Vampires, but that's just because they're protecting me. But still, the other races are also protecting me. They're all the same really, except that the reason they're protecting me is different. The Vampires, for them not to lose their abilities, and the other races, to weaken the Vampires. Why the hell am I trying to resist all this anyway? Why not just let them fight over me and see who wins then I follow them. Either way, I'll be staying alive, or maybe not if they get frustrated at each other and decide to end it all with killing me. Goodness, but I can't let many lives die while just sitting in a corner waiting for how it would all end. Since the one I love (probably only) is in the Vampires, I guess I'll have to take their side, huh? But this complicated thinking of mine is ever so useless. I would still be going to the Thunderbirds anyway.

This wait seems to last forever. I better just look at what's happening outside. I head out of the room where the portal is being cast after some warnings from Vanilla. I could see the battle from the pathway on the third floor. The fighting was fierce. Among the thousands of soldiers fighting, only one fight caught my eye.

Justin and Saffron's fight.

They were almost par with each other. It seemed like the effect of my blood on Justin was eternal, since he was still stronger and his eyes were still crimson red, like fresh blood. What exactly is with my blood anyway?

I fought the urge to jump down from the third floor and run towards Justin. It was hard really, but I couldn't help myself after seeing Justin gaze at me. I quickly climb the edge and look down. It seemed very high. I could die if I jump, but surely, Justin would save me right.

Before I could jump, Saffron solidifies behind me and pulls me back down. I try to struggle but Saffron held me tight. Suddenly, Justin solidifies before me, his arms extended and his eyes filled with longing. I wanted to hold his hand, but he suddenly gets electrocuted and flies back to the battlefield.

"This building is surrounded by magic. No Vampire could get in here. Now, let's go inside the room. The portal is complete. You should leave. If you want peace to return here, you would go. The fighting won't stop until you leave."

The truth hit me like a missile. That's right. How could I not have thought about that? I am the reason for this war. I am the reason why everybody is fighting. I am the reason why many are dying. I told myself I wouldn't be a burden, but I already was. Maybe it is better for me to go.

Saffron brings me inside the room.

"Saffron. Go back to the battlefield," Vanilla orders him. Ever since she has been heading over the formation of the portal, Vanilla had stopped acting like a cat and more like a scientist. She was serious about this, I should be too. "They need you there. We'll take care of things here."

The portal was already inches away from me. Just a single push would put me inside of it. As I stood near the portal, I felt so far from my heart. I couldn't explain the feeling. It was as if I stood near the door of death itself. Together with my family and with my friends, my pain, sufferings, my past and my love would be left scattered upon the Hunter's space once I enter the portal. After all, once I enter it, there would almost be no way I could go back. But as tears poured down my eyes, I felt like it would be better that way.

"Give me a few more seconds, Vanilla," Saffron says as he wipes my tears. He smiles at me.

I try to smile back at him, but I utterly fail at it and end up crying once again.

"Goodness, Clare. Stop crying already, or else I'd.." A tear drips down his eye. "See! Now I'm crying too. Ugh. You shouldn't see this," He says as he wipes it off.

"Ahhh! I hate this!" I cry out, bursting into tears once again.

"Don't feel like you're never coming back. It's possible really, but it will take time. No, actually, as long as you're in their space, it would be long. But nevertheless, I'll fetch you away from that place, okay? Just.. smile."

Suddenly, Saffron kisses my forehead. I stop crying and stare at him.

"I'm sorry if this is too sudden, but I just can't let you go without saying it. Listen carefully because I probably won't repeat this again, not unless I hear you say it to me too. Clare, I love you."

I was stunned. He kisses me on my cheeks and smiles at me as he pushes me inside the portal. I reached out my hand to him, wanting him to pull me back. No. I can't leave like this. I can't! But it was too late.

The last thing I saw was Saffron's face, tears falling from his eyes, and his lips curved into a painful smile.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

I was brought to the Thunderbird Kingdom alright. They're kind to me and all, but I felt like I was in an entirely different planet.

It seems that in the Thunderbird space, the time moves faster than normal. One day in the Hunter space is equal to one week in Thunderbird space. In short, even if Saffron keeps his promise and fetches me in a few days, I'll be staying here for weeks.

Lance is the one taking care of me while I'm here. He has long blonde hair, creamy white skin, and pointy ears (Thunderbirds all have pointy ears, like elves). He's kind of like Saffron, though. He has a lot of pride in him.

"While the Vampires are descendants of bats, we Thunderbirds are the descendants of birds."

"Aren't bats also birds? You know, with the wings and flying stuff."

"No! They're mammals."

"Oh right." I think my IQ is constantly decreasing from being with people and things that are said to be untrue.

Since I didn't really have anything to do, I decided to stay at the library. Not that I'm a bookworm, but I guess I'll have to rejuvenate my mind capabilities.

I ended up not being to read anything. The Thunderbirds spoke in English, but their writings are different. I just walked by their shelves, opening random books, hoping there would be a miracle and I could suddenly read them.

I spot a gold book. Curiously I got it and opened it. It wasn't written in English. No, it isn't even written in the usual lettering of the Thunderbirds, but somehow, I can understand what it was saying. I browsed upon its pages. Yep, I can read every single page of the book. I went back to page one starting to read, but an old man snatches the book away from me.

"What are you doing, Human? You wouldn't be able to read this! No Thunderbird could," He snaps at me. He seems to have a terrible personality.

"What? But I can understand it."

He stares at me, as if he didn't believe a word I said.

**********

"Is it true, Clare? Can you really read the book?" The Thunderbird king asks me.

Apparently, the old geezer dragged me to the king. He is so getting on my nerves. I don't care if he's old or what. He's bossy.

"Yes," I reply.

"Then would you kindly read to us just a part of the book?" The king hands to me the golden book. I open to page one and start reading, letting the words unconsciously come out of my mouth.

"Once upon a time, a beautiful Thunderbird lady lived in the town of Truce."

_Her name was Yesha and she lived in a family of five, together with her mother, father, and two younger brothers. Many men from various villages came to court her, but she rejected them all. Nobody knew why._

_One day, the prince of the Thunderbirds came to court her. Yesha rejected him, but he kept coming back, never giving up. Moved by the prince's feelings, Yesha agreed to become the prince's wife. _

_Everybody rejoiced on their wedding. Delicacies were fed to the people and a feast was held. Everybody was happy but the queen._

_The queen didn't like Yesha, for she saw Yesha as nothing but a lowly commoner, not worthy to be the bride of a prince. _

_During nightfall, the queen enters the room of Yesha. She brought her midnight food, as she says. Yesha gratefully accepts the food, not knowing that it had poison on it. The queen insists that she watch Yesha eat the food and stays._

_As Yesha falls to the ground, the queen laughs in triumph, thinking that Yesha was dead. But no, Yesha was alive._

_The queen was shocked as she saw what Yesha was. _

I stopped reading.

"Is there something wrong? Continue reading," the king tells me. My eyes aren't just decoration though. I could see the king was already trembling, yet he wanted me to continue.

"No. It's just that the next chapter just repeats the first one." I flip the pages, checking if the third chapter would reveal something else, but they were all the same. I flinch as I see the single difference. "Except the chapter titles. The first chapter's title is 'My' while the second chapter's title is 'name'. It's different for every chapter."

"Can you merge the titles and see if it forms a title?" I nod as I browse the whole book.

" '_My name is Yesha. If you want my help, I live in the far Eastern Woods. Enter the Light Waterfalls and you will see me. Bring my son and I shall come with you'_,it says. Uhm, pardon me for asking but do you perhaps know this Yesha? I have a feeling she's real."

"She is. I am the prince in the story. My mother tried to kill her but Yesha didn't die. Yesha, after all, wasn't a full Thunderbird. She's half Fairy and that was her secret. That was why she would reject any man who courted her. She was searching for a man who would accept her for what she was, and that was me. I couldn't protect her though. My mother banished Yesha away, but now that I am king, I want her back, but I don't know where she is. That book is a book she herself wrote, but by some reason, nobody could read it."

"Whatever a Fairy is, why is it bad to be part Fairy?"

"Just like how the Zombies, Vampires, Hunters and Human are fighting right now, the Thunderbirds are also in some fight. All these years, we were trying to appear as peaceful as we can, but it won't be long before the other races attack us. We're going against the Witches, Dragonites, and the Fairies. The Fairies are our enemies, and that was the reason why my mother was able to freely banish Yesha away."

"So who is her 'son'?"

The king raises his hand. "Lance."

Lance solidifies beside me. He was wearing a black cape.

"Yes?"

"You're meeting your mother. Bring Clare with you, but be sure to bring her back here unharmed by any means."

Lance just bows his head in silence but he finally replies, "As you wish."

Oh. So Lance is her son? Wait. Did the king just tell him to bring me along?

**********

"Geez. Tell me exactly why I have to come with you. Plus, there's no other people coming with us. Don't you father want to see Yesha? I don't feel comfortable being alone with a pervert like you." I complain to Lance.

He just snickers at me. "Why so?" He turns toward me and smells my hair. "Are you afraid that I'd do something dirty to you?" I snarl at him. He grins then wags his hand in the air. "I like the way you think, but I'm not interested in doing it in a forest. Maybe when we're back to the castle, then you could ask me kindly while wearing nothing but bra and lingerie. Choose the ones that could easily be removed okay?"

"Keep dreaming, airhead!" I am so going to kill him if he does anything suspicious.

He looks around. What is he doing?

"What? Lost your dick?"

"Uh no. Last time I checked, it was still there. Guess I'm looking for yours then."

"What exactly are you looking for?" I angrily ask as I throw a stick at him.

"Ouch! Keep quiet will you? I feel like someone's watching us."

"Hah! I know what that is! Excessive Self Consciousness!"

"Hmph."

Aside from that, he didn't say anything else. He's no fun at all. I hate boring journeys the most. But for some reason, he's been wearing glasses ever since we've head out. Sometimes, he would glance at me then suddenly grin. It gives me the creeps really.

Wait.

Don't tell me.

I grab his shoulder. He turns around. I quickly grab his glasses and wear them. I ended up regretting my actions. Even Lance regretted turning towards me and turns back around.

"Remove those glasses Clare!"

"No need to ask twice." I throw the glasses and started stepping on it.

"What? I didn't tell you to destroy it!"

I glared at him. "Did you say anything?"

"Uh.. no.."

"Good. 'Cause if you did, the next thing I'll be crushing is your head. Get it?" He just nods at me. Goodness. I never thought he'd wear X-ray shades. So all this time, he's been gazing at me naked.

"Did.. you see my.. you know." He slowly asks.

"You call that a dick?"

"Shut up!"

"Don't you ever think of anything other than sex?"

"I also think of naked women."

"Bastard. Can't you just teleport?"

"You mean solidify to the waterfalls? No. I've never been this deep in the forest. To solidify there, I need to at least know how it looks like."

"Tch. Useless. Now aren't you a Thunderbird? Can't we just fly to the waterfalls?"

"Now that you've mentioned it, I guess I could."

He grins as he carries me on his arms. I was left speechless when I saw his wings. They were majestic, with many colors. They seemed to glow and keep changing colors.

He flew me to the Light Waterfalls. Now I understand why it's called Light Waterfalls. The water seemed to glow, and there were small balls of light that flew out of the water.

"What are those?" I ask Lance.

"Souls, they say. The spirits go to the Waterfalls to cleanse themselves then finally rise up to the heavens."

We enter the Waterfalls. It was quite an easy task. I just had to push Lance towards the falls and make him check where the entrance was. Apparently, I planned for him to end up falling, but he used his wings. He actually threatened to leave me at the top of the Waterfalls, but I didn't care. In the end, he flew me inside. Reverse psychology always works.

It was dark inside. The only sound was the splashing of the waterfalls and the dripping water from the ceiling. Suddenly, a torch hanging at the side lit up. Lance takes it and walks deeper into the hidden cave. I hesitantly follow him.

When we've walked quite a distance already, the light of the torch goes out.

"I didn't even blow it, yet it goes out," Lance complains.

"Shouldn't you be more worried that it lit up without you lighting it?"

We both fell silent as light lit up the entire cave. A beautiful lady stood inches away from us.

"Hello Lance," She sweetly greets him.

"M—mother?"

So this is Yesha, the lady who wrote the book. She had long black curly hair and blue eyes. Her lips were plush pink and she had the elegance of a true queen. Just being in her presence makes me want to bow before her.

"No. I don't deserve to be called a mother. I might have bore you, but I was exiled after that, so I couldn't take care of you. I just wanted to see you. I hope you don't get angry by my selfishness."

"Father wants you to go back. We also need your help against the other races."

"No. He doesn't want me back. He didn't even come here to see me. I am only half Fairy, but I have enough magic to look into the past and into the future. The other races won't attack you so you wouldn't need my help."

"Uhm," I speak up. "Why am I the only one who could read the book?"

"Ah. So you were the one chosen by the book. You see, I placed a spell on that book. Even though I was still pregnant, I was already thinking of the future of Lance. I also knew that I'd be exiled sooner or later, but I still wanted to help my son find the right woman to marry. The book could only be read by a kind-hearted and loving lady. Seems like you're that lady hmmm. So what's your name, my future daughter-in-law?"

"Ah, Clare. Wait, ma'am, but are you telling me to marry this perverted son of yours?"

"Oi. I'm not perverted," Lance retorts.

"I don't want to hear that from someone who uses X-ray shades on girls," I snap back. "Plus, I already.. like someone else, so I can't possibly marry you."

"Hmph. I wonder who's blind enough."

Before our fight could turn out to something big, Yesha stops us.

"Clare right? I've seen your past and your future. Your friends will come for you and I suggest you come with them. I know how you feel, but don't blame yourself for the fight of the races. Be happy."

Lance insisted that Yesha come back to the castle with us, but she refused. Lance flew me back to the castle, even though I insisted that we just solidify there.

As we were approaching the castle, we stopped at the sight that welcomed us.

The Vampires have come, and Justin is leading them.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Lance and I hid in the library for awhile. I wanted to run to Justin but Lance stopped me. He said it wasn't safe and that it wasn't clear yet why they were here. But it was clear to me why. They came for me. I still followed Lance though. If I suddenly appear to them, they would think that the Thunderbirds took me. I don't want another war to happen.

But a war did happen.

**POV: Justin**

"I know she's here. Give Clare back to us while I'm still asking nicely."

They brought us to their king. He looked strong, but pathetic as well. He looked as old as the worn out seat he was sitting on.

It's weird, really. I don't usually insult people, but I guess it's because I've been away from Clare (who fonds lecturing me) too long already. More the reason to take her back, or else I'd be making quite a mess of this space too, just like what I did in the Zombie and Hunter space.

"Sadly, no. We've promised to take care of her. We Thunderbirds do our duty through the end."

"Oh." I pull out my black sword. "I hope you're ready for the consequences then."

I ordered the troops to attack. They obediently did so. The Thunderbirds entered by breaking the ceiling. Goodness, I hate dealing with flying things. Fortunately, we Vampires don't go flying around or else I'd be killing every single one of my kind.

I noticed weapons hung across the hall. Do they seriously use weapons as decorations? Unbelievable. I raised my hand, letting magic flow through them. Actually, no Vampire could use magic, but it seemed like Clare's blood allowed me to use some.

I directed my magic to the weapons. They obediently flew out of their places. Good. I pointed the swords, spears, and arrows to the flying Thunderbirds. I clenched my fist, and the weapons flew towards them, making most of the Thunderbirds to fall to the ground.

It was an easy fight really, but we also had loses. The king was losing his confidence now. He was trembling with fear. Well, who wouldn't? His troops are dying one by one in front of him, but he shouldn't worry, he's next after all.

I rushed to him, my sword ready to pierce his heart, but another Thunderbird blocks me and clashes swords with me. He was incredibly strong, but nothing compared to me.

With a swing of my sword, he was sent flying to one of the pillars. He still got up after that attack though. Impressive.

He wipes the blood dripping from his mouth and glares at me. Oh well, I wouldn't mind fighting a warrior like him.

He raises his hand. Don't tell me he uses magic? A strong gust of wind suddenly blocks my sight. I try to block the wind and stop myself from being dragged by it. It was hard for my eyes to adjust and see, but when I finally did, the Thunderbird was already in front of me. He slashes his sword and sends me flying to the wall. Tch. I haven't really practiced using magic since it would only be with me temporarily but I guess I don't have any choice but to use it without training.

I concentrate the magic to my fist and slam it to the ground, causing the cement to crack, aiming for the Thunderbird but he jumps away from its path and hurls balls of magic to me. I slash my sword through them and aim for him. He kept on dodging my attacks until I finally concentrate magic on my sword and release a ranged attack. He tries to block it with his sword but my attack critically hits him and sends him falling to the ground with a bloody gash on his body.

Even with the wound, he still stood up. Now I'm frowning. If I use any more magic, I might just run out of it. Not that I really care, but I at least want to have some magic in case of emergency, and I have a bad feeling that there would be some hell of an emergency coming to me. I need to finish this battle quick.

I quickly rush to him but I was taken aback by the way he stared at me. I paused for a moment. The aura encircling him was dark. I close my eyes and felt his magic. His magic was rushing wild. If he continues like that, he'd stop having control over his magic. He would release a humongous amount of magic that would create a big explosion.

I lessened the magic that flowed within my body, so that in case the Thunderbird releases his magic, my magic would not go with his and explode.

I rush to him and try to attack him, but his overflowing magic is creating a barrier around him and protecting him from my attacks. He throws a huge amount of magic towards me which I barely dodged. He's too strong on his current state, plus I have to intentionally weaken myself. This doesn't look too good.

I chose to go on the defense. I can't beat him and I can't stop him from making an explosion. It's better if I let him explode the whole place. Actually, the faster, the better.

He's gone agitated by all my dodging now. In no time, he'd explode.

Now let's see the casualties. I don't care much for the castle. The maids have probably gone by now. I suddenly felt a familiar presence. I looked up. There was a woman standing at the third floor.

Clare!

This is bad. If that Thunderbird creates the explosion now, Clare would be included in it. I can't go to her either since my enemy would follow me. I would only put her in danger.

**POV: Clare**

I peered down to where the battle was happening.

Lance went to the battlefield just moments ago. He said he had to help his kind. I could see him from up here, but there seemed something wrong with him. Then it finally struck me.

He was using magic!

Is it because his mother is half Fairy? Even Vampires can't use magic. Justin caught my eye. He and Lance were the ones fighting. Justin was also using a bit of magic. Let me guess, it's because of my blood.

"Clare! Get out of there!" A voice called from my back.

When Lance left me, some unexpected guy meets me. Yep, you guessed right. It's Saffron. He was acting like the "I love you" moment and the crying part didn't happen, but something did change. The way he looked at me and even the way he held me were different. It was as if he wasn't going to let anything take me away from his sight. I was also pretending that it didn't happen though. I didn't want to hurt him with a 'no'. It was either that or I don't give an answer at all. I chose not to answer, but I know I have to refuse him sooner or later.

Saffron grabs my shoulder. "I told you to get out of here, didn't I?" I roll my eyes and ignore him.

He looks down towards Lance and Justin. When his gaze falls on Justin, he tried to pull me back inside the library. "Let's go. You shouldn't let that Vampire see you."

But it was too late already. Justin was looking straight at me, panic clearly settling in his eyes. He forced himself to look back at Lance.

For most of their fight, Justin was on the defense. That's not how I know he fights. What could possibly be wrong?

"Your Thunderbird friend's magic is going nuts. That guy's going to blast this whole building sooner or later. More reason for us to leave already. Your Vampire friend would survive that, plus he'd also like to see you alive after this, so let's just go, okay?"

I heave a sigh. "Alright. Fine. But I'm returning here, okay? I'm going back to them."

Saffron forces a smile. "Alright."

He clearly didn't want me to go back to the Vampires.

He holds his hand out to me, waiting for me to take it. As I was about to do so, I heard a loud explosion. I looked back down. Lance was lying on the ground, unconscious. Justin was barely standing up. One of the walls was blasted and there was something inside. It was a huge container.

"What's that?" I ask Saffron.

"That thing contains compressed magic that powers the whole country. It seems that the container was distracted by the explosion. The magic inside is going wild. In a matter of moments, it would create an explosion ten times bigger than the explosion your friend made. We should go." Saffron grabs my hand but it was too late.

The container exploded, blasting the whole building.

Blackness.

.

.

.

.

I opened my eyes, knocking off a few small stones on top of me. My sight was still quite blurry. I shook my head to clear off my mind. When I finally got a hold of my sight, I was stunned. Saffron was on top of me, stopping huge rocks from hitting me. I shudder as his blood trickles on my forehead.

He stands up, letting the huge boulders fall. He holds out his hand to me once again. This time, I took it. As he helped me stand up, he wavered a bit. He looked okay for a moment, even through all the blood that dripped from his body, but he finally falls to the ground.

I quickly kneeled over to him. Panic stricken, I didn't know what to do. I grab his hand.

"Saffron! Open your eyes!" He faintly does so and smiles at me. "Can you stand? We need to take care of your wounds!"

He just shakes his head. "Clare. I love you." He says in a very faint voice. He places my hand on his chest. I could feel his heartbeat, but tears just shot through my eyes as I felt his heart grow weaker and beat slower.

"What are you saying? Hush. You shouldn't lose hope. You're going to be okay."

I slowly stand up to look for help, but Saffron just holds my hand tighter.

He smiles at me, and starts talking. "Do you remember what I told you on the rooftop? The time we gazed together at the sunrise? I want you to remember. I'll die, but I'll live on in your heart and in your memory. I'll always be watching over you."

"Idiot! You won't die!"

"I will…. I love you…. Clare.. Cla—"

No! I check his pulse. Nothing. No heartbeat. Why? I kept asking myself why, tears dropping nonstop from my eyes.

"**SAFFRON!!!**"


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Do you know why he loves you?" I look behind me as I suppress my tears. Vanilla stood at my back, gazing down at Saffron. "All his life, it was a miracle to be called by his name other than by the king. He was happy when you called him by his name. When you learned that he was a prince, you made him blissful by still calling him by his name."

**********

Justin

"Justin, be understanding. Just give Clare some time. It's been hard for her. The death of that Thunderbird guy and such. Just imagine it. What if I die? Wouldn't you feel sad too?" Corbeau asks me.

"I doubt it," I reply.

"Heeeey! I've been giving you suggestions now and then plus I've been scouting people for you, yet you won't be affected by my death?"

"Oh no, don't worry about me. I still got tons of friends out there. Don't worry about dying either, since I'll be giving you a decent funeral."

"Bastard."

"I don't want to hear that from someone who just had a one-night stand last night."

"It's not like I was the one who wanted it. She was the one who seduced me."

"Like how seduced? By sitting next to you at the bar and talking to you? She didn't even lay a single hand on you."

"How'd you know?"

"I have my ways."

He starts complaining about my ways while bragging about his girl at the same time. He's hopeless.

Clare, can't you just forget about that guy? It's been a month already, yet you won't even crack a laugh or anything. I heave a sigh.

Clare

I sit bleakly upon the seat, quite far away from the school, but still inside the premises. The more days pass, the more I become scared. I'm scared of forgetting. During the nights, I would have nightmares. Images of Saffron flashes upon my dreams. At first, they were clear images, but as time passes, the images are slowly fading away. I can't forget. He died protecting me.

I shudder as Rayon sits beside me. I didn't hear him coming at all. Maybe I was too lost in my thoughts.

"You've been isolating yourself lately," he comments.

"I am?" I ask although I am completely aware of it.

"Yes, and I don't like it."

I wanted to tell him that I didn't like it either, but I feel like it's the only way I could repent for the death of Saffron. Everybody's telling me that it's not my fault, but obviously, that's what they would say. I don't like it though. I'd rather be blamed for everything.

Rayon sighs and gazes at me.

"It's your fault he died."

I felt my heart skip a beat. Did I hear him right? Is he actually blaming me? I felt like all my burdens were gone.

He continues speaking, "It's your fault. Are you happy now? Do you know what you're doing with your life the way you are right now? You're wasting it. You're wasting the life that Saffron, or whatever his name is, gave to you. Now stop that! Stop being such a loner. Where is the Clare that I know? Bring her back. Bring back her beautiful smile and musical laugh. Bring back the glint of happiness and beauty in her eyes. Bring back Clare to me."

I smile at him. I feel like I haven't smiled for a million years. It felt so good to smile again.

Even if I stay happy, Saffron won't get angry right? I won't forget about him either. I couldn't. I guess overreacting about all this. He's still alive after all. He's alive in my heart.

After talking for awhile, Rayon took his leave. Apparently, he's getting ready for the upcoming Valentines event. In a week, there's a Valentines ball. Come to think of it, since I've been isolated lately, I don't have a partner yet.

I stand up and walk back to the school, but someone blocks my path. He held a red rose in his hand, and his black hair seemed to dance with the wind.

"Justin," I say his name with a smile.

He smiles back to me, as he hands me the rose.

"Clare, would you care to be my partner on Valentines?"

"My pleasure," I reply as I took the rose and smelt it.

**********

I smile as Chenille talks about this guy he likes. It was a third year. I don't know him much but I know his face. She said he was very kind, intelligent and strong.

I shudder as I remember what Vanilla told me about love. Do I seriously love Justin?

Justin enters our classroom and smiles at me.

"Is there something wrong?" He asks me. Well apparently yes. My heart is beating wildly. I haven't experienced this before. Is this what they call love? I can't possibly keep having this _thump-thump_ all the time. I'd die. Plus, I also feel kind of nervous. It's like going to a stage and being viewed by everybody yet not be able to say something.

"No. Nothing."

"You're sweating," he says as he brushes the back of his hand on my face.

"No!" I unintentionally scream as I stand up from the chair I was sitting on.

He looked at me with shocked eyes, but a grin slowly crept up on his face.

"You're blushing," he teasingly says.

"No I'm not!" I quickly turn to leave, but he follows me.

"You are."

"Am not!"

"Eh? You're such a pervert, gazing at me with longing eyes while blushing."

"I wasn't gazing!" I covered my mouth way too late.

"Oh? So you _**were**_ blushing."

I frown and double my speed, not caring to retort any longer. He unceasingly follows me, still with a grin on his face and playfulness visible on his eyes.

After minutes of the seemingly walking (or half running), he suddenly grabs my hand and looks straight at my eye. I blush. Tch! It's not good to blush at a time like this, with his face so close to mine. Wait. Why is he standing so close? I can feel his breath, plus my gaze dropped on his lips. I shudder as he finally moves, but my heart skips a beat as he places his ears on my chest, listening to my heartbeat. Uh oh. I scream to my heart to stop beating so fast and loud.

He finally pulls away and after what seems like a lifetime, he smiles at me and hugs me tightly.

"H—hey! Justin! What are you—"

"I knew it. You've fallen for me."

I push him away. He obediently pulls away.

"Oi! Stop being so full of yourself!" Even if I said this, I knew myself that he spoke nothing but the truth.

"Still dare to deny it? Blushing and fast heartbeat. What else could it be but love?"

"How could you be so sure?"

He lifts my hand and places it on his chest. I could feel his heartbeat. It was beating very fast but in a rhythm, like it was singing a song for somebody.

"I don't blush, but my heartbeat speeds up nevertheless. I know the signs, Clare. I've known ever since 5 years ago."

My hand started to tremble.

"What.. do you mean?" I hesitantly ask.

He also hesitates to answer but finally looked straight into my eyes.

"I love you."


	14. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own the story.. but not the song below.. it's the lyrics to the song Beautiful soul by Jesse McCartney.. Clare's gown was based on the gown of Yukari "Caroline" Hayasaka of Paradise Kiss.

**Chapter 13**

"Chenille, I think this is way too much."

"What are you saying? It's Valentines ball. You look extremely perfect! Any guy would want to dance with you."

I wore a blue gown designed with white flowers and shimmering pearls. I wore blue heels and my hair was braided and designed with blue roses (white roses were painted blue). I had a white ring with a huge butterfly design.

"Well, I don't really want all the guys to dance with me. That would be tiring."

"Oh yes, of course not. You'd be dancing with your boyfriend," she teases with a grin.

Apparently, I also said 'I love you' to Justin. I guess we are boyfriend and girlfriend now. But nevertheless, I still think the gown I'm wearing is too much. Chenille was just wearing a simple black gown. Why am I being forced to wear this expensive gown anyways?

"Let's go!" She cheerfully exclaims as she grabs my hand and pushes the huge door to the hall of the castle where the ball would be held.

As I entered, the flowing music halted to a stop and the people ceased chattering and eating. They all stared at me. What? Is there something wrong? I instantly wanted to leave, but Chenille continued dragging me. The music slowly restarted, and some people returned to what they were doing, but some continued to gaze at me.

I searched the crowd of people for Justin, but I couldn't see him. Where could he be? Could he have hated what I look like and decided to run away? Just the thought of it wants me to destroy this party.

Rayon approaches me with a smile on his face.

"This is a castle, but not a castle good enough for such a beautiful princess," he says.

"Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?"

"Take your pick. Either way, you look magnificent tonight. It's too bad I'm not getting your first dance. It's reserved for somebody else right?"

"You'll be second then."

"Clare. You have to know that in the world of boys, it's always all or nothing. I'd rather not dance with you if I'm not the first one."

"Tch. Fine. Suit yourself," I grudgingly tell him. He just smiles and leaves to get some food.

Without knowing, Chenille has also left me already. I don't feel so comfortable being alone after all.

Suddenly, I see Chenille stand on the stage holding a microphone.

"Greetings everyone! I'm very sorry to interrupt your joys and bliss in this Valentines ball, but I would want to present to you the Vampire prince, singing for all of us." She winks at me and leaves the stage. She runs beside my and tells be to listen carefully.

Justin enters the stage with a guitar. He wore a black suit and white gloves. His black hair seemed to shimmer under the bright spotlight and his eyes glittered blue. I was happy to see his eyes blue again, since I've been seeing it colored red for awhile now due to drinking my blood.

He sits on a chair at the middle and starts strumming the guitar, filling the air with music.

"_I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul  
You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I wont let another minute go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul_

_I know that you are something special  
To you I'd be always faithful  
I want to be what you always needed  
Then I hope you'll see the heart in me_

_I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul  
You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I wont let another minute go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul_

_Your beautiful soul, yeah  
You might need time to think it over  
But I'm just fine moving forward  
I'll ease your mind  
If you give me the chance  
I will never make you cry c`mon lets try_

_I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul  
You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I wont let another minute go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul_

_Am I crazy for wanting you  
Baby do you think you could want me too  
I don't wanna waste your time  
Do you see things the way I do  
I just wanna know if you feel it too  
There is nothing left to hide_

_I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul  
You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I wont let another minute go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul_

_Your beautiful soul, yeah._"

I felt teardrops roll down my face. It was the song he composed and sang to me on Valentines Day, three years ago. So it wasn't a joke? He made that song for me?

He stands up and puts his guitar down. He slowly walks toward me, brushing the back of his hand on my cheeks, wiping away my tears.

"Sorry. Did I make you cry?"

"Bastard."

He giggles. "You look wonderful. You make me think that I'm not worthy to be your boyfriend."

"Don't change the topic."

He heaves a sigh and lifts my chin. His eyes mesmerized me. He melts me.

He slowly moved his lips on mine. I was stunned.

Justin kissed me.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Justin pulls me inside but I don't move an inch. Am I afraid of the devil? Well who wouldn't? I'm just a normal human.

"Clare, trust me. He won't do anything to you."

"How could you be so sure? He might actually just eat me."

"He wouldn't Clare. I won't let him okay? Let's go. Don't you want to see your family?"

I look at him for a moment, and then finally step into the room.

It was a huge room. Are devils that big? There was a huge pentacle on the floor and magician-looking Vampires were seemingly surrounding it. They were wearing hoods, and their hands were raised, glowing green.

Apparently, the day has come for the Devil to rise. We're going to ask him to remove this curse placed on me. Maybe the devil isn't what I'm actually afraid of. Maybe it's the sacrifice Justin has to make in exchange for the wish. I don't want him to sacrifice anything for my sake.

When the other royalties arrived, the ceremony was started. The magicians chanted words I couldn't understand.

For a few moments, nothing happened.

Suddenly, a hand came out of the pentacle, slowly emerging to a tall man. He had a beard and red eyes. He was about 6'5 tall and seemed to tower above us.

With a _puff!_, a huge chair appears behind him and he slowly sits on it. He snickers as he crosses his arms.

"**Greetings mortals.**" His voice seemed to fill the room with terror. He was a Devil indeed. He wasn't that scary though. His sneer wasn't evil but filled with interest. "**I'm sorry it took so long for you to summon me. You see, those filthy Angels keep blocking the paths of the Devil space. It's annoying, really, but I guess it can't be helped if those Angels are merely desperate. Anyway, it's amusing for Vampires to summon Devils, but I guess the world is changing rapidly. Well then? What do you want?**"

Justin speaks up while the rest of the Vampires remained silent.

"We want you to remove the curse from Clare. Her health is the health of the entire Vampire race. We want it removed."

The Devil grins at me. "**Oho. I see. You've quite a lady here. Let's see.**" A book appears on his hand and he starts to scan it. "**Oh. Clare Grandier? Born on March. Descendant of Urbain Grandier. Now, that is amazing.**" He looks at me and smiles. "**Do you want to know why you're 'cursed'?**"

I simply nod in reply, too scared to talk.

"**You're a descendant of Urbain Grandier. He's a priest but he made a pact with the Devils, with a capital 'S'. Here's the English of the pact:**

_**We, the influential Lucifer, the young Satan, Beelzebub, Leviathan, Elimi,  
and Astaroth, together with others, have today accepted the covenant pact  
of Urbain Grandier, who is ours. And him do we promise  
the love of women, the flower of virgins, the respect of monarchs, honors, lusts and powers.  
He will go whoring three days long; the carousal will be dear to him. He offers us once  
in the year a seal of blood, under the feet he will trample the holy things of the church and  
he will ask us many questions; with this pact he will live twenty years happy  
on the earth of men, and will later join us to sin against God.  
Bound in hell, in the council of demons.  
Lucifer Beelzebub Satan  
Astaroth Leviathan Elimi  
The seals placed the Devil, the master, and the demons, princes of the lord.  
Baalberith, writer.**_

**He was burned at stake though, but he got what he wished for. He's a demon right now, bound in hell. He's enjoying his demonity, actually. But he's just a lower demon. I could crush him with my bare hands. Anyway, you're cursed since you're the descendant of that man. The rest of your kind wasn't cursed though, since they're not born on March. March, apparently, is the month Satan's the most powerful. Well that's mainly just about that. Don't worry. It's easy to remove that curse.**" His eyes shift from me to Justin. "**An eye for an eye. Of course there's a price.**"

"Name it," Justin simply says.

"**Oh but I'm so bored. I want to chat for awhile. Why are **_**you**_** the one doing the sacrifice? You're the prince! You could ask some lowly Vampire to pay the price.**"

"I don't want anyone else to sacrifice for the sake of the one I love."

"**You're no fun. You're ending the conversation too quickly. Alright then. Fine. The price to pay is your nationality.**" Justin fell silent, not understanding what the Devil just said. The Devil burst out laughing. "**Hahaha! My bad, my bad. I meant that you give up your right to be called a Vampire. I'll take away all your abilities. Your longevity, your power, speed, strength, teleportation, and everything else. You'll just be a normal human. In short, weak. You won't be a prince anymore. Now, shall we hear your answer?**"

Everybody started muttering. I looked at Justin. He was facing down. I wanted to tell him to refuse it, but I couldn't seem to talk. Justin finally looks back to the Devil.

"Yes."

"**Excellent! Let this be the end of your life, and the beginning for your new one!**"


	16. Chapter 15 end

**Chapter 15**

"Clare! Aren't you done yet? You have a guest," my mom calls from downstairs.

"I'll be right there!" I shout.

I placed the comb down and looked at the mirror. Hair, check! Face, check! Uniform, check! I'm ready.

I grab my bag and run downstairs.

"Don't run!" My mom warns me. I clumsily trip. Uh oh. A guy catches me from my fall. He had black wavy hair and cool blue eyes.

"Why are you running? What would have happened if I didn't catch you? You're so clumsy. Did you want to see me that badly?" He teasingly asks me.

"Don't be so full of yourself, Justin," I say with a grin.

Yep, I'm back to my same old life. Well, a bit. It's not 'same old' actually. Justin's my boyfriend already after all. That might be the only difference from before, but it makes a whole lot difference for me.

Justin and I walk together to school every morning. It's been 5 years already, and I'm already a fourth year college student. I took nursing. Justin on the other hand, chose to be a doctor. Today is actually our 5th anniversary, and I feel like the happiest woman in the world.

"Hey Clare!" Chenille greets me. Rayon stood beside her, holding her hand.

Chenille and Rayon are already going out for three years now. They sometimes get into fights but they always make up in the end. They've transferred to my school too. They're still Vampires, but they've learnt to control their thirst for blood after some torturous experiences led by Justin.

"Hi!" I greet back. I was going to run to her and hug her, but Justin grabs my hand and hugs me.

"What did I say about hugging?" He asks with a grin.

"That you should be the first one I'll hug everyday," I sheepishly reply.

Justin's gotten pretty childish. Childish in a cute and loving way. He wants me to always think of him and he gets jealous when I'm speaking to any guy. He demands a hug everyday plus he always kisses me on my forehead, sometimes on my cheeks, and sometimes on my lips. I actually spend most of my day with him. Once we graduate, I fear that it would change though. He might actually get tired of me.

Chenille quickly grabs me away and chuckles evilly at Justin. Justin just frowns at her.

We walk together to class.

"I know your troubles Clare. Trust me; they'll all be over today."

"What are you saying Chenille?"

"That's a secret!" She says, winking at me.

The rest of the day went by slowly and normally. Too normal in fact. Justin probably forgot that it's our 5th anniversary. I heave a sigh. He is so unbelievable.

The bell rang for dismissal. Thank goodness classes are over, but I'm still disappointed with the normal day. I guess Justin spoiled me too much. I got used to his surprises, treating me like a princess. I should take today a good chance for me to change and not always expect something from Justin.

"Clare. What are you doing? Let's go!" Chenille exclaims as she grabs my hand and drags me off.

"Where are we going?"

"Ah!" She pauses and pulls out a black cloth. Against my consent, she blindfolds me.

She slowly guides me to who knows where. I couldn't hear anything or anyone. It suddenly became so quiet.

"We're here!" Chenille exclaims. She slowly removes my blindfold.

"Just where exactly did you—"

I paused midway my sentence. I was stunned. I was in the gym. Everybody surrounded me and the gym was cutely decorated with pink laces, balloons and hearts.

The all greet in unison, "Happy 5th anniversary!"

I cover my mouth in sheer surprise. I suddenly remember about Justin and starts to look around for him.

The crowd suddenly moves away, making way for a man in a black suit, with black wavy hair and charming cool blue eyes, his mouth curved into a smile and his arms carrying a huge bouquet.

"J.. Justin," I stutter.

He smiles at me and gives me the bouquet. I slowly took it.

"I.. I don't know what to say," I tell him, tears of joy flowing from my eyes. "You didn't have to do this much. It's really amazing."

"I'm glad you liked it," he says as he kneels down and brings out a small black box. He opens it to reveal a gold ring. "Clare, will you marry me?"

I felt my heart skip a beat and time stop. I open my mouth but no words came out. Instead, more tears flowed from my eyes. I quickly hugged Justin in bliss.

"Hey. Can you answer me first?" He mockingly requests.

"Yes! Definitely yes!"

"Good!" He sweeps me off my feet and carries me like a princess. He starts walking out of the gym.

"Where are we going?"

"To some place we could enjoy privacy."

"For what?" I ask him.

"Our Honeymoon," he replies with a grin.

"Wha—? We're not even married yet!"

He simply whispers on my ear.

"I love you."


End file.
